


Domino's Story

by McNuggets



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Dubious Consent, Gen, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, M/M, Origin Story, PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:04:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27110125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McNuggets/pseuds/McNuggets
Summary: Defective (noun): Something that is imperfect in form, structure, or function.This story is about the first-ever Irken to go against everything the Empire stood for, inspiring others like him to come out and find their voice.
Relationships: Almighty Tallest Purple/Almighty Tallest Red/Original Irken Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Before the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a long time coming.
> 
> You've read about him in nearly every Invader Zim fanfic that I've created. His name is everywhere, but you've only heard snippits of his story.
> 
> I had him for fifteen years, he's one of my longest characters. He deserves his own book.
> 
> I've created a key for time, as follows:
> 
> Tick - Minute, also a measure of distance
> 
> Click - Hour, also a measure of distance
> 
> Cycle - Between a week and a month
> 
> Sweep - Equivalent of a year

_Defective._

_It’s a word to describe the flaws in the Irken Empire’s seemingly perfect system._

_The goal of the Irken Empire is just one thing: Control. That includes, control of its people, control of the universe. They strive to become the dominant force everywhere and will do anything to get what they want. The Empire is like a parasite, one that will kill anything that opposes it so they can devour everything it touches._

_Irkens who don’t kowtow to the will of the mighty Control Brains are seen as defective. Irkens who don’t fit the mold of what they’re programmed to be are called defective. Irkens who don’t agree with anything the Empire does are automatically defective._

_Defectives are rare, yet they can do so much damage to the Irken Empire._

_I know of one defective. One that was hatched somewhere after myself and the current Tallests, he never fit the mold and went on to be a destructive force that was eventually exiled from the Empire itself when he became too dangerous. However, this story isn’t about him. He has his own story._

_This story is about me. An Irken who was given everything and traded it all for nothing. An Irken whose beliefs made him an instant target and later on became a leading threat to the Empire itself just by existing. An Irken who fought tooth and nail to give a safe haven to those who were slighted by his own people._

_I am Domino, the third in line to be Tallest, an Irken that grew up knowing that something was very wrong with the system that was called my Empire._

_I am a defect._

* * *

Irkens are filled with information right after their initial hatching. Everything they need to know is transmitted into their packs: history, laws, culture, common knowledge, and how the hierarchy works.

_In the cold and cool climate that only an underground facility could provide, a machine hummed steadily. Thousands upon thousands of small tubes sat undisturbed and nestled in their spots. Within moments, the red lights upon those tubes would illuminate to green, signaling the sensors to kick to life and a robotic arm would attend to them, pull them free from their spots, and open the glass tube. An Irken would fall out, a small green smeet. The arm then proceeded to place the final piece of the puzzle onto their backs and jolt them to life._

_Every smeet that was hatched would react the same way, hugging the cold unfeeling robot arm as if it was their mother before they were sent away into a tube._

_One of those Irkens didn’t do what the others did, instead of hugging the robotic arm he sat perfectly still, waiting until he was transferred into the tube._

_There, the violet-eyed Irken went into the information chambers, sitting into the chair provided and waiting patiently as his pack was filled with everything he needed to know. History, laws, culture, common knowledge, hierarchy. the Irken briefly shut down until it was all completed. When it stopped, he blinked._

_Something wasn’t right._

_“UPLOAD COMPLETE. You have been given a name. IDENTIFY YOURSELF.” The computer commanded._

_The Irken opened his mouth and shut it. “Domino.”_

_“NEGATIVE. YOUR NAME IS DOM.”_

_“My name is Domino.” The smeet repeated._

_“YOUR NAME IS--”_

_“MY NAME IS DOMINO!” The smeet screamed._

_“FINE, FINE, NAME RE-WRITTEN. YOUR NAME IS NOW DOMINO.”_

_Domino smiled, letting himself be shoved aside for the next oncoming smeet. Two smeets were dropped into the chair suddenly, one with red eyes, and one with purple._

_Domino allowed himself to be ushered into the next part of his smeethood._

From there, Irkens are sent into training. There is little time for smeets to think, sent from where they were born to basic training in the span of fifteen ticks. The world of an Irken becomes focused on battle. From attack to defense, tactics and weapons. For at least twenty sweeps, they are isolated from the universe, learning combat basics with holographs. When they’re finished training on holographs, they are then inducted into the world where they are faced with living challenges and advanced military skills.

That’s when he met _them_.

Domino didn’t really like them, Red and Purple. They were annoying and obnoxious and just plain full of themselves. It was a first impression that dragged on many sweeps later, when they would start showing height.

Unfortunately, he was stationed with them. It was strange to see two Irkens who stuck together so much. They talked, constantly. Domino didn’t really like that part, mostly because he didn’t talk all that much. He learned in his smeethood that talking was unnecessary unless you actually had something to say. He also learned that not to say anything unless you were spoken to.

He wondered if his silence was why they took interest in him.

_No longer a smeet, but still a fleshling Irken, Domino was soon transferred from the recesses of Irk’s core up into the surface. He was the only Irken that was quiet, the rest of them chirping and clicking their excitement over advancing their training. The Academy is where battle tactics and further training would take place. Domino wasn’t as excited, still deep in thought, still trying to understand everything he had learned._

_Nothing made sense. None of it._

_“Are you going to stand there, Dom?” A snide voice broke him out of his thoughts. The small Irken hissed at the offending voice, glaring at Red. Purple was at his side, Purple was always at his side._

_“Yeah, Dom. Don’t fall behind.”_

_Domino opened his mouth to say something but he suddenly shut it, his antennae twitching irritably before he stormed off ahead of them. “My name is Domino.” He bit out._

_Red and Purple laughed._

Irkens were naturally chatty, it seemed, but Irkens were also naturally hive minded. They thought the same, they talked the same, they even had the same goals. Domino, however, was quiet and he didn’t really think the way everyone else did. He often questioned everything he saw, as a lot of things didn’t even look right in his mind. He knew something wasn’t right with that line of thinking, however. No one questioned how things work, no one wondered why things were this way. They just accepted everything as fact and did what they were told.

One day Tallest Miyuki visited the training camp. A routine check, but still something all Irkens spent forty clicks preparing for. Domino stood with his peers, watching as Miyuki took autographs from some. He stared at her for quite some time, his antennae twitching irritably.

_“Is it weird that she’s in charge just because she’s tall?” He questioned to another, “It should be how powerful you are, your skills in battle.”_

_He was met with a smack to the head from one of the instructors, the Irken hissing. “That’s defective talk, talk like that gets you deleted.”_

After that, he learned to keep everything to himself.

The older he became, the more he viewed things differently. It didn’t help that he was getting taller and everyone was starting to treat him better. The idiots, Red and Purple, were taking advantage of their growth, using it to boss the smallers around. It seemed unfair. The smallers worked just as hard or harder than the tallers, and they were treated like shit. When he was inducted into the Irken Elite, he felt like he earned the title with his skills in battle.

Skills and height seemed to clash. He realized that the taller one became, the more skewed the rules had gotten. Things that weren’t so obtainable in the past were now easily accessible. He could see it with the idiots, as they started to use their height for how it was traditionally used. They became more indulgent, leaving their hard work and training at the door while they took in the pampering and the praise. He didn’t like it. He didn’t want to lose everything he worked hard for just because he grew a few meters. So he continued with his training, honing his skills so he could surpass them. Though, he knew that the taller he would get, that his skills wouldn’t mean anything anymore.

Becoming a Tallest-elect meant being separated from the other Irkens. He was given a private room when he used to live in barracks with others of mixed height. The idiots had joined him, but with their own respective rooms, which he assumed they shared. They were still always together and thick as thieves. Training became less of a required task, while political science took the foreground. There, Domino’s mind was opened to what it meant to be a Tallest, and how everything worked behind the scenes.

He became disgusted of his own kind. He grew to loathe the Empire and everything about it. How it urged Irkens to follow a superficial supremacy and lived off of the hard work of other species. Irkens took what didn’t belong to them, they stole from the weak. They killed whatever didn’t suit their needs and fought for control of everything they wanted. Everything about the Empire made him physically ill, and he began collecting illegal paraphernalia, anything that educated him about the world outside of the Empire. He took his free time and made it for study of intergalactic treaties and how the rest of the universe saw the Empire. His thoughts seemed to align with theirs.

_He found it in the trash. It looked inconspicuous at first, but the words caught his attention. Domino waited until he was alone to read it, to peruse through the pages and take in this new outside information. It wasn’t anything the Empire had written. It wasn’t nearly something they would allow. The pamphlet depicted the real truth of the Empire, the horrible acts the Empire has done. Invading. Conquering. Destroying. Planetary Domination. Death and Enslavement._

_By now he was moved into the Tallest-Elect chambers, a corridor inside the palace on Irk that was dedicated to housing those who were eligible to become Tallest. Their positions opened up new things to learn yet not much to do. He was presented with the politics of the Irken Empire. The frighteningly skewed truth of who controlled what. He had become disgusted with the Empire and everything about it, but he couldn’t really do anything unless he wished to risk deletion._

_The pamphlet's place here raised questions. Why was it there? Who had it last? Was someone else on this planet in his position? Were there more Irkens that didn’t quite believe in the Empire’s ideals? How many of them were hiding?_

_It was just a small bit of information, a small print of the truth, but it meant so much more to him than anything he ever had. It was proof that his thoughts on the Empire were right. It told him that he wasn’t the only one who thought the way he did. He wasn’t really a defective, he was just aware._

_He made sure to keep it hidden from plain sight because he knew that if it were ever found then he would surely be convicted of treason. He couldn’t see himself throwing it away just to save his own hide._

_Domino’s convictions were worth dying for._

He became secretive, isolating himself and insisting on keeping his body in peak physical form. The idiots, however, were becoming smarter. They took notice of his behavior and decided to investigate, using a moment when he was away to break into his private room and discover his darkest secret.

_He came back that day to find them resting on his bed, grinning proudly at themselves as everything he kept hidden was spread out. Domino felt the air leaving his spooch and knew that he was just caught. The two he regarded as idiots have unearthed everything._

_“What do you want?” He hissed out. “Is this why you two have been avoiding me for three solars?”_

_“Maybe.” Purple spoke first, “We had to figure out your routine somehow.”_

_“I’ve gotten better at lockpicking.” Red added, looking quite smug. “I’m pretty sure if we went to the Control Brains with all this evidence...you would become such a liability.” He clicked his tongue, “I’m not sure exile would be an option…”_

_“He’s pretty much deleted.” Purple lamented._

_“What. Do. You. Want?” Domino kept his voice steady, but while he was still primed for battle, they were twice as cunning._

_“We’ve been pretty bored.” Red flicked one of the books on Domino’s bedside table, snorting in amusement. “I’m sure if we had something to play with, then it would keep us very entertained.”_

_“Like you.” Purple added, “I mean, you could entertain us so much that we’ll forget all about the fact that you’re a dangerous defective that needs to be dealt with.”_

_They had the upper hand, and Domino hated that. There wasn’t any way he could get out of it, because with all the clout they had, one word could mean his deletion. They had enough evidence to back up their claim, and he was as good as dead._

_The last thing he wanted was his death._

_Red was pleased with himself, because he knew he had Domino where he wanted him. This whole plan was mostly his idea to begin with. Something about Domino never sat well with him, ever since the Irken rejected his original name. No, Domino wasn’t his name, but Dom was. Call it a growing curiosity, but Red had been keeping an eye on him ever since they were within arms length of each other. To discover that Domino had been hoarding traitorous paraphernalia was like finding a planet filled with snacks. This wasn’t something he wanted to ignore, this was something he wanted to exploit. Thankfully, Purple would go about with just anything he wanted, only going where the fun was._

_Domino was going to be fun._

_Domino’s antennae flattened against his head as he started at Red. The other Irken only clicked his tongue in distaste and got up from the bed, making his way to the other. ”Dont look at me like that, ” Red purred, slipping his arm over Domino's shoulder once he was close enough, bending it enough so that Red’s fingers were lightly grazing his antennae. Domino couldn't help the bodily response that he had when Red began to stroke them; his knees buckling as a shudder passed through his features. Red was pleased with the response, pressing his body against Domino's, his other fingers tracing along the other’s mouth._

_”Be a good boy Domie, that's all you have to do. Be good for us and we won't tell.”_

_When Red stroked Domino’s antennae again the other made a weak keen, shutting his eyes. He felt Red’s mouth over his own, the red-eyed Irken coaxing his mouth open to slip his tongue inside._

_While Red was taking advantage of the situation, Purple watched on listlessly. He knew Red had an obsession with Domino, it was fairly obvious that the majority of Red’s thoughts were about him. He just never assumed that it would lead to this outcome. Honestly, the knowledge of Domino being a defective was interesting. He was the one who found the pamphlets, yet when he found them he had hesitated for a tick before showing them to Red. He knew what Red would do with them, he was close enough to Red to know how his mind worked._

_He crossed his legs and stayed where he was, watching as Red found entertainment with his obsession. By now Red had shoved Domino against the table, the violet-eyed Irken bent over with his hands sprawled out onto the surface. He could see Purple clearly, the third Irken doing nothing to help or hinder Red’s work. When he felt Red’s hand under his robes he inhaled sharply, screwing his eyes shut when those fingers grazed his slit. He wanted nothing more than to shove the Irken off of him, kick his ass and run away._

_But that's what Red wanted, and he wasn't about to give Red what he wants._

_”It’s so lonely in this room all by yourself.” Red continued, slipping his fingers into Domino, searching for his phallus. When Domino hissed he smirked. ”I wonder if you think about me, because I've been thinking about you.” He continued to stroke him, leaning down to lick along his antennae. Domino let out a strangled groan. ”I’ve always wondered what it be like with you under me like this. The sounds you would make for me among...other things.”_

_”I want nothing more than to gut you and wear your squeedily-spooch as a hat.” Domino growled out, gasping when he felt Red grasp his phallus. He hated how his body was wanting this._

_Red clicked his tongue. ”Ah, when I imagine it, you’re saying something entirely different. You're begging me to make you cum, happily praising me as your Tallest.” He took his time stroking the other, grinning widely. ”You’re already dripping! You must really want this, am I your other dirty little secret Domie? Do you touch yourself during the breaks and think of me?”_

_Purple looked bored, but it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. ”Hurry up, I want to go to the cafeteria.” He idly picked up one of the pamphlets, giving it a lazy look through._

_”Almost done, Pur.” Red enjoyed feeling Domino arch and groan underneath him, making sure to make this enjoyable for the other Irken as much as he enjoyed it himself. He twisted and stroked him faster, listening to Domino’s labored breathing as he neared his climax. ”Say my name, Domie.”_

_Domino grit his teeth, his eyes screwing shut again as he felt himself be pushed to the edge. He felt so damn good, Red’s touch was literal fire and it sickened him that he was enjoying this as much as he was. ”Fuck you.” He breathed._

_Red only smiled, leaning closer to him, ”Next time, pet.” With that his tongue entwined along Domino’s antennae stalk and that seemed to send Domino over, the Irken under him cumming with a strangled shout. He didn't cry out Red’s name. That was the last thing he would do was give Red the satisfaction of knowing Domino enjoyed it. Red removed his hand after that, bringing his cum-coated fingers to his mouth and licking it off. He looked pleased, moving to pat Domino’s head before moving away. ”We’ll work on your obedience eventually, Domie.” Red purred. ”Just remember who you belong to.”_

_Purple put down the pamphlet and stood up, ”Finished? I'm hungry, let’s get some nachos.”_

_Red wiped the rest of the mess on his robes, ”I want a slurpee.” Red gave Purple a smile, the two of them heading to the door. Domino had pushed himself from the table then, glaring at the two of them. Red was the only one who turned to address him, still smiling._

_”We’ll continue this, pet.”_

_With that they left, and Domino suddenly felt dirtier than when he came in._

And for the rest of his time as Tallest-elect, he was their personal plaything. They weren’t gentle about it either, putting him through pain and humiliation for their amusement alone. It would last until Tallest Miyuki was killed, and again when Tallest Spork met his untimely end.

Domino couldn’t allow this. He wouldn’t deal with being at the hands of Red and Purple or the Empire. He never wanted to become a Tallest, and he knew that his secret would be exposed if he did. So he did what he could do.

_Domino could feel the pressure, time was wearing thin. He had managed to make it out of his room, but now he was wandering the hallways of the palace, trying to find an exit that wasn’t overrun by Irkens. It was nearly time, in under a click the Empire would make history - the first ever Great Measuring for three Irkens to become Tallest. He didn’t want it, he couldn’t do it. If he was made Tallest then his convictions would be all for nothing. If he was made Tallest then the abuse would continue. If he was made Tallest then he would never be free from the bloody Empire._

_There had to be a way out, somewhere he didn’t look._

_Though, no matter where he went, there were guards. They were keeping a close eye on the grounds, making sure no one got in. That meant no one could get out either, and his options of escape were being narrowed down._

_“Dom.”_

_Domino stilled at the hushed voice, his attention on high-alert. He looked around, zeroing in on an opened door. He frowned, cautiously stepping forward until the door opened wider and someone had grabbed him by his robes. He yelped, being bodily dragged forward and the door shutting just in time for two guards to round the corner._

_Domino could hear them chittering, blinking wildly and looking up. The lights went on then and he was staring face to face with Purple. “What—“_

_Purple put his hand over Domino’s mouth. “Do you want out or not?”_

_Domino didn’t reply, his antennae quirking oddly, as if to ask him what was going on. He half-expected Red to come in from the other side, and both of them saying it was a prank on his part._

_It was obvious that Domino didn’t trust Purple, by the look on the other’s face. Purple didn’t seem bothered, he expected it. “Make your way through the air ducts, they lead to the outside.” He slowly removed his hand from Domino’s mouth._

_“Is this a trap?”_

_Purple seemed to be rolling his eyes, “Go now before they notice you missing, I have to get back before they find my room empty.” He made his way to the door, “Just do as I say.”_

_Domino ripped around and caught Purple by the sleeve of his robes, “Why are you doing this?” He couldn’t help but ask._

_Purple paused, looking back at him, “We don’t want you deleted.”_

_“We.” Domino repeated, staring at Purple with perplexed awe. “You said we.”_

_Purple shrugged Domino’s grip off of him and left the room, leaving Domino alone._

_He was deftly confused, but didn’t take that long to think about it, making his way to the air ducts to escape._

When Red and Purple officially became Tallests, Domino began his life as a fugitive.


	2. Redemption

The bad part about fleeing the Empire out of desperation was that you didn’t have the foresight to take anything with you. Domino had the clothes on his back, his instincts, and the ship that he was in. Though, the further he had gotten away from the Empire’s threatening border, the more he began to realize that he would need monies. Fuel was something that he was going to need, and pretty damn soon.

While there were fuel outposts available, the problem was that the ones outside the Empire didn’t cater to Irkens, some signs actually translated to ‘will shoot on sight’. He knew that leaving the Empire meant going into a place that didn’t care for Irkens, but it was either risk that or be set for deletion…

Which made him wonder why Purple went out of his way to make sure Domino got out of there safely. It seemed out of the norm for the Irken who wished to use Domino as a footstool, but the Irken said ‘we’. Did that mean Red was in on the plan? Was there something they knew that he didn’t, would he have been found out eventually? Either way, they let him go rather than keeping him under their thumb. He didn’t understand any of it, unless…they did this as a favor he would have to repay in the future.

It sounded better than thinking they did it to save his ass.

He put the ship in autopilot and rummaged the back for something. He could do with a disguise chip, or something as simple as a weapon. Yes, a weapon sounded good, because weapons insured your safety. His own battle knowledge and pack extensions could only go so far.

He found a shroud in the furthest crate, and with a defeated sigh he decided that anything was better than nothing. Now he had to figure out how to get monies. The one thing he didn’t want to do was whore himself out, he did enough of that after _they_ caught him. He shuddered at that memory.

With the shroud he went back to his seat, seeing that he was heading for a meteor outpost and reading the signs. No Irkens prohibited, but it never said anything about shooting. He hoped that it was a good sign and proceeded to move the ship into port.

“You just ran away from your home, and now you’re going to have to talk to outsiders.” He said to himself, “You can do this, Dom.” He got up and pulled the shroud over himself, masking his face well. After one more moment to catch his breath he stepped out on the bridge, avoiding eye contact with miscellaneous aliens and pushing himself into the small shop.

“He told Myx that everything’s going bad.” A female Vortian spoke out to something wrinkled and hairy. “I ain’t got a home anymore. Now that the Empire’s Tallest got picked off they’re sayin’ the treaty with Vort’s no good anymore. I’m not lettin’ those Empire dogs enslave or kill me just cuz they want my goods.”

“You’re the best arms dealer in this area, Z.” The alien grunted out, “If anythin’, you should take down some of them Irkens and gut their eyes out. I’ll let’cha.”

Domino wanted to leave. Yep. Just as he walked in he suddenly had the urge to leave.

He turned around automatically, moving to step back out until a hand grabbed his shoulder. “Hold it!” The female’s voice was sharp.

Domino squeaked. “Y-yeah?” He just hoped to Irk his Vort dialect wasn’t shitty.

“Your ship is an Irken special.” She said, “I saw you getting out of it.”

“Oho.” The wrinkled alien grinned.

“Only Elite gets those ships.” She continued.

Domino knew all eyes were on him, and he cautiously turned around. He expected to see a gun in his face but all he saw was the female’s pink eyes full of mirth. “So what’cha do? Steal it?” She asked.

“...pretty much.” Domino answered, grinning nervously. “I kinda knocked the owner out and escaped Irk as fast as possible.”

“No way! Irk?” Another voice boomed from the store, “No one survives the heart of the Empire! You must be an assassin.”

“That could explain the two Tallest deaths. Aren’t they crowning two new assholes?” The female tilted her head curiously, and Domino nodded.

“They’re complete idiots, I give them a cycle.” He said honestly, “There was supposed to be a third…but he was seen as defective.”

The female snorted, “Defective Irkens are horrible. More dangerous than the non-defects.”

“I wouldn’t say that…” Domino trailed off, but then he thought about a certain defective Irken and shook his head. “Okay, I change my mind.”

“Zet, this fella just escaped Irk, poor shit’s prolly out of fuel.” The wrinkled alien called out, “Give ‘im some high grade guns.” He eyed Domino with a grin. “My eyes ain’t so good but you look big, prolly gave those pints a fright.”

Domino opened his mouth to speak but cut himself off, his hands wringing anxiously. “I could use some fuel if you’d be so kind.”

“Aye! I’ll pay for it.” He replied gruffly, “Anythin’ for anti-Empires.”

The Vortian approached him again, holding out a couple of weapons. “Here hun, let’s give ya a fightin’ chance.”

Everything was working out better than he thought it was, and he wondered just what was happening. Though, Domino wasn’t going to complain. He smiled slightly and took the guns, slipping them away. “T-thanks, both of you.”

“Call me Zetiya, hun.” The Vort winked at him, “Anythin’ for Antemps.”

Domino used that moment to leave, he needed to fill up his ship and get out before anything bad happened. Though, his luck seemed to have a time limit, because the third person from inside the shop approached him and began to make small talk. Domino could see the gun on the alien’s holster and that’s all he could look at.

“Yeah, yeah, I got to go now.” He said politely, “Thanks.”

He just didn’t realize the alien was standing on the edge of his shroud, and time seemed to slowly pass by as it unveiled his true form.

“IRKEN!” The alien snarled, alerting everyone around him.

“Shit.” Domino hissed out, grabbing for his gun. “I’m not here to hurt anyone!” He shouted.

“You lyin’ piece of shit! The only good Irken is a DEAD Irken!” Another snarled.

Domino wasn’t the one to shoot first, and he almost tripped over himself getting inside the ship, starting it up and pulling out while the pump was still in the tank. He could feel a stinging pain to his shoulder where he was shot, his robes clotting up the blood that surrounded it.

“So much for getting out safely.” He said to himself.

He continued to speed through the expanse until he was sure no one was behind him, setting the ship into autopilot before getting up to look for a first-aid kit. He settled himself down when he found it, ripping the bloodied sleeve from his body and treating the wound. He let out a sigh then, leaning against the wall for a moment so he could relax.

Somewhere between laying back to relax and having a gun in his face, his pack seemed to go into stasis mode, because he didn’t notice when a ship boarded his own and the Vort female from before forced her way inside.

“I’ll take my guns back, sweetie.” She said when he opened his eyes.

Domino almost hit his head against the gun in shock, gritting his teeth and looking up at her. “D-don’t shoot-- I really did steal the ship!”

She snorted, “The day I believe a fuckin’ Irken is the day I lose my brainmeats.”

“Look, um..Zet? I’m being very serious here. Why would I lie in front of a lethal weapon that could blow my head off?” He looked at her pleadingly.

“Humor me, then.” She inched her gun away from his forehead, “Why would an Irken leave the Empire willingly?”

“I’m defective.” He said immediately, finding the gun pressed into his head now, “Not in the way you think!” He shouted. “I--I left because I was risking getting deleted and I refuse to become another fucking Tallest!”

She quirked her brow, staring at him. “You’re that third Tallest.” She looked thoughtful then, finally moving to sit in front of him. She kept the gun out, just in case.

“My name’s Domino.” He tried to smile, “Yes, I was supposed to be a Tallest like a few clicks ago, but I decided to leave.”

“I assume all those Irkens wouldn’t pass up such an opportunity. What made you leave?” She questioned.

“I hate the Empire.” He said simply, seeing the look of shock on her face. “Yeah, I’m really defective, because everything the Empire is and how it’s run just doesn’t make sense to me. When I became taller it just…” He glanced to the side, away from her. “Everything became weird. Then I learned about everything, and it just made me hate the Empire further.”

“Shit. I never thought I’d hear that from an Irken.” She broke out into a small laugh. “Honey, you’re just a sittin’ target out in this place.”

He finally relaxed when she set the gun down, shrugging. “I’m either deleted at home or just risk it all here, I chose the less dangerous.” He smiled reassuringly. “It seems to be working out so far, I got free fuel and guns and you didn’t kill me.”

She smirked in amusement. “Antemps are everywhere, honey. You’ll be shot dead quicker if you don’t have anyone to backup your story. How about I make your life a little luckier? Ditch this ship and join mine. Antemps all over this place know who I am and you’ll be safer than a Flooxian newborn.”

He quirked his antennae quizzically. “What do you get out of it?”

She grinned widely then, “Hun, look at you. You’re an Irken with Antemp beliefs and a pretty tall one at that, you’re definitely a threat to the Empire as long as you’re alive. Now imagine if you had as much power as those two you call idiots.”

Domino watched her, thinking carefully. “What are you saying?”

“I’m sayin’ be a beacon of hope for everyone the Empire fucks with. With a little help, I can give you everythin’ you need.” She looked confident in her suggestion, but he still had doubts.

“What if I refuse?”

“Honey,” She sighed, touching his cheek. “If you do then you’ll be dead quicker than you think, and then what? You left the empire for nothing! All us Antemps are lookin’ for a way to demolish the Empire, there’s even talks of a resistance formin’. Imagine yourself as part of that, the first Irken to ever go against their kind. You’ll be known everywhere! If you die, then no one will know your story.”

The more he thought about it the more he realized that she was right. He needed to be out there. He needed to be heard. Because, what if he wasn’t the only Irken in the Empire looking for a way out? What if there were more like him? Someone had to give them a reason. He took a breath and nodded, “I’ll do it.”

Zetiya smiled, taking his hand and bringing him to his feet. “Good, now let’s grab whatever you think is valuable and bring it on my ship. We can send this one somewhere.”

“Nothing is valuable here, it’s just full of random crap that belonged to the Irken I stole it from.” Domino gave the back another sweep, picking out another med kit and two boxes of snacks.

“Why would you steal a ship?” Zetiya questioned, watching him pick through everything. “You are really tall, I’m sure they would have given you one.”

“I was under time restraints.” He explained, “If I just asked for a ship, they would have asked why I needed one, and I just left before The Great Measuring. My handlers assumed I was still locked up in my room and getting prepared. I had to climb out the damn air vent.” He quirked a grin, “There’s guards everywhere that would have taken me back to where I was supposed to be, and once I snatched the ship there was an alert on my sudden disappearance.”

She leaned against the wall, grinning with amusement at the story. “That sounded like a fun escape.”

“Yeah, hiding in the bushes to avoid security is really fun.” He replied blandly. “After Miyuki and Spork got killed, security was beefed up.” Domino finally stopped searching and moved to the door, “Let’s blow the ship up.”

“Calm down there, Dom.” She ushered him into her ship, a somewhat larger one full of weapons and actual rooms. “While blowing up an Irken special sounds pretty nice, you need to think ahead.” She pulled out a remote and played with it until the Irken ship began to move on its own. “Two ticks after you left a couple of Irken ships passed through the outpost, heavily armed Irken ships at that. They interrogated everyone. I had a feeling somethin’ was wrong when they marked you as a fugitive, so I directed them in another direction and tracked you down. That Irken special has to be found.” She proceeded to shut both hatches, looking out the window while piloting the other ship away from hers. “It’s better to send them on a wild chase than to have them going to every outpost out here scarin’ everyone.”

Domino watched the ship get farther and farther away, looking over at the remote in her hands and smirking. “That’s a nifty piece of work.”

“It’s how I got to board your ship without your permission.” She smirked at him in return. “Irken technology is full of holes and back doors, that’s why they love Vort tech so much. We make our shit more secure and efficient.”

“That’s what Miyuki wanted for the Massive.” He said casually, moving to set down everything.

“The Massive?”

“It’s supposed to be a massive ship, everything about it screams Tallest cruiser.” He sat down up front, “Almost like the palace on Irk, but more portable.”

Zetiya took in the information quietly, heading to the main chair and setting a course. “You have just given us an upper hand, my friend.” She grinned, turning the ship away from the one that was long gone, darting forward. “I have a friend who is working on a resistance, pretty paranoid but he’s leader material. Irkens love to play with shit that doesn’t belong to them, and if they’re going to make that ship with our tech, then they’re going to make themselves a target.”

“What is he?” He asked curiously.

“He’s like my third cousin fifteen times removed or somethin’.” She shrugged casually, “Vortian. This time is a really bad time for us, with talks of the treaty with the Empire going to shit. Everyone’s either up and left or stayed on Vort to prepare for a battle. My friend never trusted the treaty, left a long time ago. He always told us that they were going to turn traitor, that Irkens weren’t trustworthy, and he was right.”

Domino frowned at that, “And you want me to meet this _lover of my species_?”

She snorted in amusement, “If you met him on your own he’d shoot first and ask questions later, but with me he will just scream at you and assume I’m being tricked.”

Domino glanced at the pile of weapons sitting in the back, “You know, that win-win situation really doesn’t sit well with me.”

She laughed then, “Honey, relax. He won’t shoot you dead if I tell him not to. You’ll need him, anyway.”

“Need him for what?” He asked, fiddling with the tie to his robes.

“Information. My friend is very deep with the Antemps. He knows everythin’ there is to know and what connections you need to make. I assume that outside information isn’t available in the Empire, so you need to know who to trust, who to avoid, and what you can do. If you actually want to make a name for yourself, he’s where to start.”

Domino nodded slowly, “What’s his name?”

“Lard Nar.”


	3. Making a Name

The trek to the planet was about five cycles away, and it gave more than enough time for the two to learn more about each other. Between stops at meteor outposts for fuel and anything edible, Domino learned a lot more about the universe outside the Empire than he got from the illegal paraphernalia he had hidden in his old room. While Irkens rarely slept, Vortians had a sleep clock, and Domino understood why Zetiya wouldn’t sleep for the first few cycles. Just accepting an Irken’s story was different than letting your guard down in front of the accused. It took time, and when Zetiya finally became too exhausted to stand, she put caution to the wind and slept in her chair.

Her trust in Domino began to build when she woke up twelve clicks later still in her seat and alive. That in itself seemed to help their undocumented friendship.

Within one cycle, Zetyia stopped them at a supply store on a lonely planet. With all the aliens that were there, Domino was forced to stay inside the ship while she went out for supplies. A click passed until she came back with two crates full of supplies, and something special.

“You’re about 2.4 meters, right?” She asked curiously.

Domino stopped looting around a crate, his antennae perking. “Yeah.”

“Good, I had to ask almost everyone how tall the current Tallests were.” She shut the hatch and carried a bag over to him, “Consider this a present and an offer. I’m sick of your robes, they stink like a slaughterin’ rat person.”

Domino chuckled, “It’s the only thing I have, Zet.” He took the bag and peered inside, his eyes widening as he pulled out some fancy threaded clothing. “Gold?”

“If I gave you purple robes, you’d look too much like that Tallest.” She pointed out, addressing his own violet colored eyes. “There’s about two sets for you to wear. You need to look less like Irken royalty and more like a rebel.”

Domino laughed at that, pulling out the purple sash that went with his robe. “The belt thing is good, I can put weapons in there.” He took the first set and made his way to the cleaning room to change, throwing the old robes outside into the trash bin before washing himself and putting on the new set. He came out looking better than he went in, grinning widely as he sauntered out. “It fits perfectly.”

“Good, because I’m not takin’ them back.” She called out from the front, taking the ship back up and returning to their journey. Domino stayed in the back, putting his replacement set into a closet before browsing the selection of weapons to see what he could hide away in the sash. He finally settled on two daggers made out of Vortian metal, testing them out and deciding to keep them. If anything, having a hidden weapon made him feel more secure. When he turned around Zetiya was watching him with a smirk, “Those daggers will cost ya.” She teased.

“Says the female who gave me a couple of free weapons.” He replied.

“Only because I assumed you were an escaped prisoner with a weird amount of luck.”

“Technically I was.” Domino said dryly, “If it meant I was held against my will and forced to do unseemly acts with two idiots.” His explanation made her face drop and she stared at him, waiting for any hint of sarcasm or humor.

“Oh honey.” She whispered, looking dreadful.

He shrugged, sighing. “It was that what gave me the extra incentive to leave.” He said simply, stepping back to his seat. “I made it out with the clothes on my back and my thumbs intact.” He flexed them for emphasis before focusing on the map on the screen. A long silence had followed, the only thing making any sound was the ship’s computer.

Zetiya watched Domino’s form, sighing just slightly and looking over everything. She’s slept three times while he was on the ship, and every time he had a chance to shoot her dead, or gut her, or do anything while he hijacked the ship and her weapons. She never thought that she could actually one day trust an Irken. A defective, at that. Defectives were known to be homicidal and eccentric, an everyday liability. But no one had actually made contact with a defective, not to the point where they lived to tell about it. Defectives were the Irken myth, something people claimed were true until you’ve actually encountered one with your very eyes.

Domino wasn’t insane. Domino wasn’t eccentric or homicidal. He had a chance to defend himself when he was exposed and he chose to retreat. Instead of going bezerk in front of her he did his best to explain his situation. This was an intelligent Irken that was being honest about why he was a defective. An Irken who chose to gamble beyond the borders of the Empire and made himself a very wanted alien. His face was already being posted in the areas she’s been to, with a bounty on his head set at 200,000,000 monies for his live capture. Bounty hunters were probably out there, looking for a prize that she had already captured.

This Irken, with his beliefs and nature, was a sign. He could easily become a figurehead, a leader. He was wanted and feared by his own kind, for how tall he was and how he viewed everything about the Empire. She knew Lard Nar would put him through hell, given his species, but it was a price to pay if he wanted to prove himself. She wondered how far he would go for his beliefs. Would he become a scion for good or get corrupted along the way and end up like the ones he hated so dearly.

She wanted to see what he would do. She wanted to be there for his trials. Zetiya had nowhere else to go, and nowhere she had to be. Putting her trust in this one Irken was a gamble she was willing to take.

Five cycles passed by so quickly, and soon Zetiya’s ship was near a barren planet that housed runaways and other escapees. Tents littered the surface like it was a small commune, everyone already outside and watching Zetiya’s ship lower itself onto the ground below.

She told Domino to stay inside, making her way out of the hatch first. She waited for Domino to leave the hatch, and the Irken’s arrival was met with loud cries of anger and hostility.

“I’m the life of the party.” Domino said sarcastically, following Zetiya as she passed the aliens.

“Just ignore them sweetie, weapons aren’t permitted here unless you’re authority.” She eased his worries with a smile.

“What on Vort is going on here?” A voice broke through the crowd, hushing up most of the aliens. The Vortian with green eyes caught sight of the Irken and unleashed his gun from the holster. “A Tallest!”

“Wrong!” Zetiya brandished her own gun, “This one’s with me.”

“Zet!” The Vort hissed out, marching up to get a closer look at the Irken behind her. “Bloody hell, this is a secret area! What makes you think--”

“Hear me out, Nar.” She interrupted him, “I didn’t believe it at first, but this one’s legit. We have a Antemp Irken.” She grinned at him then, setting her gun down. “I wouldn’t have brought him here if I didn’t trust ‘im.”

He stared blankly at her for a moment, his eye twitching irritably before he ushered them both to a larger tent. Domino ducked down into the area, finding a spot to sit and keeping his hands to himself.

“State your case, Irken scum.” Lard Nar growled out, glaring at him.

Domino looked at Zetiya and saw her nod, taking a breath and nodding. “Right. Well, first off, I’m pretty much a defe--”

“Nar, weapon first.” Zetiya butted in, holding out her hand. “Your fingers have been itchin’ to pull that trigger and when Dom says the D word I ain’t havin’ you blow his brains out.”

Lard Nar looked angry and conflicted, “Zet, I’m the leader of this commune!”

“You ain’t nothin’ if you shoot him now.” She hissed out. “Give.”

Domino watched the Vortian have a staring battle with the female, grinning slightly when the smaller finally caved and handed his gun over to her. Zetiya looked pleased at herself, nodding over at the Irken, “Go ahead hun.”

“I’m a defective.” He said it abruptly, and he instantly covered his antennae as Lard Nar let out a horrible shriek of fear. “CALM DOWN!” He snarled, “I’m not INSANE for Irk’s sake!”

“I knew that would happen.” Zetiya mumbled while Lard Nar whimpered, attempting to gain back any bit of fearsome demeanor he had before the breakdown.

“Not all defectives are raving lunatics, so stop it.” Domino glared at him, “I was set to become a Tallest six cycles ago, but instead I decided to leave the Empire. I don’t like the Empire, I never had. From when I was young I knew something was wrong, and once I began to grow everything became even more off-putting.”

Lard Nar folded his arms, “How much do you know about the Empire’s dirty deeds?”

“I was let in on the secrets when I was Tallest-elect, it’s disgusting and horrible.” Domino said stiffly, “I know there’s other Irkens out there like me. Irkens who probably know everything’s fucked up but cannot afford to run away. I want to help those the Empire has screwed over, and I know I have the abilities to make a good leader.”

“Pretty words for filth.” He sniped, “You may have won over my friend but words alone won’t win me over. If you are what you claim to be then you will need to prove it. Now, let me give you something to think about: The Empire isn't the only force of evil out there, there's shit going on everywhere! Crime lords, drug smugglers, planet jacking and the slave trade business. The Empire is only the top of the food chain! If you want to prove yourself, then you're going to have to climb that chain. Prove to me that you're not a traitorous dog. If you're an actual Antemp, you'll start by cleaning up around here."

Domino’s antennae perked, “You’re giving me a chance?”

“It’s your only one, fuck it up and you’re dead.” Lard Nar grinned, “I’m going to send you out on a little rescue mission, and if you come back alive then I’ll start believing your story.” He gave Zetiya a glance and chuckled, “You aren’t getting help from Zet, either. This mission will be a solo one.”

“Most of my life has been solo battle simulations and training, hand to hand combat and advanced weaponry. I kept it up even when it wasn’t expected of me anymore.” He stood up so tall his antennae were brushing the roof of the tent.

“Good. Now, this area is ripe in slave trading. My contacts have reported an auction platform about five clicks north of here. It’s run by a small crime organization that’s trying to put themselves on the map. Heavily armed cargo ships come through this area constantly and they haven’t noticed our people, but we’ve noticed theirs. Every cargo ship holds about fifty aliens from whatever planet the organization decides to raid. These aliens are used as experiments, slaves, sex workers, or even drug mules.”

Domino grimaced at that, and Lard Nar looked pleased. “I want you to hijack one of those cargo ships and bring those aliens here, anyone with a weapon is to be terminated and you are to bring that ship back undetected. We can’t save everyone, but if we save a few then we’ve helped the cause.”

“Every crime organization out there has ties to the Empire, Dom.” Zetiya cut in then, “All the monies from the slave trade business goes into Irken funding for weapons, ships and even their top secret experiments.”

That in itself seemed like more than a good reason to up the ante. “Instead of...hijacking a single cargo ship,” He began, quirking an antennae. “How about I just take care of the organization?”

Lard Nar broke out into a hearty laugh from that suggestion. “While I do admire that balsy attitude, I have to remind you that you’re only one Irken. The suggestion is quite too big, even for a newbie like you.”

“Wait.” Zetiya spoke up, grinning. “If Dom thinks he can do it, give him that chance. It’s only thirty aliens in that family, and we both know what a single Irken can do.” She laid her hand on her hips, eyeing the Irken with amusement.

“Yes, yes, we all know what Irkens can do, but we’re trying to prove his loyalty, not send him to his death.” Lard Nar argued.

“I rather save more than a measly fifty aliens.” Domino scowled, “You have a major opportunity on your hands, use me to do something more than ship hijacking. It’s not sending me to my death if I’m willing to take on the task.”

Lard Nar thought about it, and while it sounded utterly crazy, the Irken was actually making sense. He shifted from one leg to the other, looking from him to Zetiya. Alright, an Irken that was actually willing to take down a whole organization would give his resistance a good start. He didn’t have enough men in his corner to deal with larger tasks, but now he was being given an Irken warrior, an Elite, a Tallest-elect, even. This was a chance for the resistance to become what its meant to be.

“If we’re upping the game, then you’re going to need backup. Zet will go with you, she knows the layout. You’ll still need to hijack one of those cargo ships, but this time you’ll use it to get into the facility without detection. The fact that you’re an Irken Elite will give you an advantage. The boss has a thing for Irkens.”

The sound of that was just disgusting, but Domino nodded. “Consider him dead.”

“That’s what I like to hear, Domino.” Lard Nar grinned, extending his arm for Zetiya to hand him his gun. “Complete this and you’ll earn my trust. Not any Irken can just get on this planet and survive a meeting with me, so you better be thankful to dear Zet.”

“He’s aware that he’s in debt with me, aren’t you sweetie?” She smirked in Domino’s direction, and the Irken smiled slightly.

Domino waited for Lard Nar to leave the tent first, leaving with Zetiya and seeing a row of aliens looking disgruntled and somewhat hateful. Lard Nar didn’t defend Domino’s presence one bit, still wondering the validity of the Irken. “Go on.” He said harshly, watching them return to Zetiya’s ship.

“What if he comes back to kill us?” Someone cried out.

“You can’t trust Irkens, boss! He’ll turn on us.”

“What about the youngers?”

“Settle down.” Lard Nar growled out, keeping an eye on the ship that begun to take off in the direction he put them in. “He won’t come back.” He said it calmly, grinning before turning away from the small crowd, who seemed pleased with the answer they were given.


	4. Basic Instincts

Zetiya parked the ship next to a major route, “The next cargo ship that comes by will be our target.” She said to Domino as he looked over the weapons once again. “We’re not in any hurry, Dom. Right now let’s focus on survivin'. Hijackin’ the ship will be easier than anythin’, it’s entering that auction house and killin’ everyone else.”

“Thirty armed aliens aren’t really what I’m worried about.” He said casually, “I refuse to entertain you with what I had to do on the battlefield, but you probably heard about how hostile Irkens can be from bloodlust.”

She eyed him carefully, “I ain’t gonna have to shoot you in the head now, am I?”

The comment made him crack a grin, “Zet, I’m not going to go about killing everything I see. Part of our training involved learning some restraint.” He touched one of the smaller guns and guided his finger along the barrel, examining the craftsmanship of the weapon.

The way he was handling this mission was a little off-putting in her opinion. She wondered if it was part of the Irken’s confidence or his inflated ego. But then she never got to see what Irkens are put through, and everything she knew about them was going on crazed tales of some poor shit who lived through a nightmarish massacre. Domino _had_ killed before, and he acted so calm about it, because before, those kills were aliens that he now was trying to defend.

She wondered if he was aware of it, because Vort knows she was. She was talking to an ex-Irken Elite, someone who used to kill for funsies. She wondered how his morals stood up against what he was told to do. She also wondered if Domino knew that Lard Nar didn’t expect him to survive this mission.

It wasn’t a secret about how much Lard Nar hated Irkens. She knew by going to him, she was going to risk him shooting Domino. Though, she knew the Vortian better than anyone. He may have listened to Domino and gave him a task, but in reality he didn’t trust him for all he was worth and expected him to die by Zetiya’s hands. The fun part of this would be seeing the gobsmacked look on his face when she and Domino would return.

Unlike the rest of her species, Zetiya _wanted_ to see Domino succeed. It meant that there was a possibility that things were going to somehow get better. An Irken going against their own kind was unheard of, and right now she was in front of a real game changer. An ex-Tallest, who decided to think differently and see everything wrong with the Empire. If she played her cards right then she’d be on the right end of the revolution that she’d been waiting for, and Domino would be the wild card everyone needed.

By the time Domino became comfortable with his weapon of choice, the cargo ship was nearly in sight. Zetiya kept her eye on the ship as her hands moved intricately across the board, activating her cloaking mechanism and starting the ship up. “They won't be expecting an Irken to board the ship, this is your advantage.” She said to the Irken, grinning. “With your height they'll suspect you're a Tallest.”

  
  
Domino didn't enjoy the fact that he had to pretend to be a Tallest to get what he wanted, but he nodded anyway. “Might as well.” He said eventually, getting into position as Zetiya flew up near the cargo ship. He watched Zetiya put the ship into autopilot and whip out that controller she had used to get onto his ship, adjusting the controls until the ship next to hers halted into place. Quickly, she ran her hands back against the ship's controls, “I need you to act as menacing as possible, hun.”

  
  
Domino realized what she was doing, going pale at the video feed that was being established and looking panicked when she made herself scarce under the control table. Instantly, he was face to face with a grungy looking alien he never seen before. He caught Zetiya's eyes and quickly shifted his features into something aggressive, “This is Tallest Purple,” He thought quickly. “From the Irken Empire.”

  
  
The alien would have looked menacing, but at the sight of an Irken his features fixed into something fearful. Good, Domino thought idly. “Shit—well, what do I owe the pleasure, My Tallest?”

  
  
Thinking on the spot wasn't something he was used to, and the panic was evident in his voice as he tried to think of why a Tallest would be calling him. He glanced down at Zetiya for help, but she was covering her face with her hands.

  
  
“Border...Your ship is entering our borders!” He finally shouted, the idea forming into his head. “We don't let just anyone into Empire territory, alien. One of our soldiers is already outside to inspect your ship for anything illegal.”

  
  
The alien looked confused, “The last time I checked this area was still outside the Empire's border.”

  
  
“Well you thought wrong!” Domino shouted angrily, “We increase our land whenever we damn well feel like it and now this is our territory, don't make me instruct them to shoot you.” He chuckled at his own bravado, getting used to shouting at the trafficker.

  
  
Zetiya did her best to hold back the laugh.

  
  
The alien on the other end straightened up quickly, offering a clumsy and haste salute to the Irken. “Okay, okay, sorry—yes, I'll unlock the hatch right away, just don't kill me!” He said hurriedly.

  
  
“Make it fast, we don't like to wait.” Domino said then, watching Zetiya cut the transmission before falling into a cackle on the floor. Domino visibly relaxed when the transmission ended, managing to laugh himself.

  
  
“We can relax after this, hun.” Zetiya gathered herself upright once more, turning serious. “Get that gun ready.”

  
  
The cargo ship's hatch was unlocked quickly, and Zetiya's ship connected itself. She stayed out of sight as Domino boarded the ship, fixing on his menacing glare when one of the pilots met with him.

  
  
“M-my Tallest?” He was different from the one before, but still staring at the Irken like he was a nightmare.

  
  
“Nah.” That's all Domino said before he fired his gun into the other's chest, paying the alien no mind as he stepped over him and entered the cabin. The first pilot was already on his feet, spinning around and stopping suddenly, his arms raising quickly at the sight of the gun in the Irken's hands.

  
  
“Y-y—you're not the Tallest, are you?” The alien questioned shakily. “You're that defective--”

  
  
“Well, there goes my surprise.” Domino quipped, pressing the gun to the other's chest. “How many slaves are on this ship?”

  
  
The alien's color had changed from the accusation and now, looking more ashen at the realization that he was in front of the most wanted defective in the Irken Empire. He tried to answer, but the fear kept his voice down.

  
  
Domino's antennae quirked irritably, “I'm not even that scary.” He said in disappointment, firing his gun as they weren't going to get anywhere after that.

  
  
Zetiya nudged the head of the alien body out in the hallway, hearing the next shot and peering past the doors to the cabin. A chill went up her spine at how quickly he just ended their lives, but she ignored it for now, turning the other direction towards the doors to the actual holding cells.

  
  
“Oh, mercy.” Her voice went weak, seeing the cowering groups of female and younger aliens staring at her fearfully as if it was their last moment, their own dialects threading in between pleas and cries, begging her not to shoot them. Zetiya lowered her gun, but something seemed to frighten them even more, and she looked back to the sight of Domino at the doorway right behind her.

  
  
“Smeets...” Domino pointed out, “I never assumed there'd be smeets in this ship.” He looked unreadable, like the revelation broke something inside of him.

  
  
Zetiya eased him out of the doorway, shutting the doors behind them. “That's what happens in the slave trade, hun.” She hated to say it, but it was true. “The youngers and the females, that's what sells around here.”

  
Domino's eye twitched, his head nodding slowly before he turned around to go back to the cabin. “Tell me where to go, and we'll play it by horn.” His voice was hard, and Zetiya wondered if she shouldn't have said anything. She pulled out her controller and closed up her ship, setting it back into its hiding spot with its cloaking activated. No one would find it while they were gone.

  
  
“Just keep goin' straight, hun.” Zetiya said towards him, gathering the dead body and shoving it aside. “You'll see the place shortly.”

* * *

  
  
The ride to the auction house was filled with tension, and Zetiya was worried about how dark Domino was looking. The more he was thinking about what he had seen, the more angry and dangerous he was appearing. Zetiya didn't say anything for the remaining clicks that passed. She was starting to get nervous, wondering if he was mentally preparing himself for a fight, because it was going to be just them against thirty criminals.

  
  
_“Cargo One, what's your status?”_ The intercom buzzed to life, and Zetiya flinched, watching Domino take the speaker and without any hesitation, speak into it.

  
  
“We're about a click away from our destination, comin' in hot and loaded.” Domino managed to mimic the alien's dialect without trying, but it was unnerving how fast he could do it.

  
  
_“Roger that, make your way to loading dock three and we'll handle the cattle.”_ The answer came without hesitation, and Domino set down the speaker, nodding to himself and seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

  
  
Zetiya looked down at her gun and felt for the extra rounds on her belt, counting enough and praying to the universe that she didn't need to use a round on Domino.

* * *

  
  
  
An Irken's rage was a terrible thing to witness, something that struck fear into anyone that witnessed it before that rage was released onto them. Those poor aliens at the loading dock didn't have a chance, and Domino had the drop on them like he was a predator that was seeking out new prey. The entire loading dock was a massacre, aliens laying haphazardly around the room with holes in their chests or slashes to their throats. Zetiya lost contact with Domino when he left towards the elevator, seemingly on a mission of his own and stalking whoever met his ire.

  
  
She was one step behind him, taking in the casualties carefully while she heard gunshots far off in the distance and guttural screaming. It sent a cold chill up her spine as she made her way across the building to take in the aftermath of his carnage. She never felt so ill in her life, coming across freshly mutilated bodies and stepping into their still-warm blood. She knew just where to go, following the trail of blood up towards the elevator.

  
  
By the time Zetiya got out of the elevator, she heard the screaming, it wasn't Domino screaming, it was whoever he had in his grasp. She broke out into a sprint, down the halls and towards the main office, where the head of the facility worked. She slammed open the door just in time to see Domino taking delight in torturing the pudgy alien he loomed over.

  
  
“Please stop—I'll do anything!” The alien begged, feeling the excruciating pain of the shattered bones in his legs.

  
  
“You want me to stop?” Domino hissed out, his antennae twitching, “You're seriously asking me to stop? What about those smeets, those innocent younglings who begged for their mothers and the females you raped without a care? Why should I show you mercy when you deserve everything I want to give you?”

  
  
Zetiya's face fell, and her gun lowered. Domino paid her no mind as he crushed the bones in the alien's arms, drinking in the strangled cries before standing up to slam his foot into the alien’s skull. The smell of blood entered her senses but she ignored the sickness that pulled at her gut, stepping over to Domino calmly.

  
  
His antennae shot up at the footsteps and he turned quickly, his crazed eyes fixed on Zetiya. She flinched immediately at the look and stepped back as he advanced. Her thoughts flew past her at top speed, taking in the Irken's growls and twitchy fingers, the way he looked ready to pounce. She did the only thing she could do.

  
  
Zetiya slammed her gun right into Domino's face. “SNAP OUT OF IT!” She shrieked.

  
  
Domino stumbled back, his entire head in a blinding white pain as he grasped his face and slipped on the blood under his foot, falling back and clutching his head as the pain swelled.

  
  
“FOR IRK'S SAKE!” He howled, writhing in his place while the pain subsided the crazed bloodlust to bring him back into reality. He laid there, his cheek split and bleeding and a bruise forming under his eye.

  
  
Zetiya sighed eventually, “Are ya back to normal now?” She questioned.

  
  
“Define 'normal'.” Domino said then, “What the fuck just happened?"

Zetiya stared at him incredulously, “You murdered everyone in the facility, Dom. It wasn't pretty.”

  
  
He groaned softly, pressing his hand to his forehead before he noticed the blood stained to his skin. He stared at it thoughtfully, sitting up eventually and looking over what he just did.

  
  
Zetiya knelt down beside him, shaking her head. “When you saw all those youngers in that ship, you went all dark. It's like it flipped some kind of switch in you, Dom.”

  
  
Domino thought back to that, remembering the moment and going quiet, almost somber at the memory. “It made me sick, and it made me angry. I just... I never expected to see youngers in there, looking so scared.” His voice cracked, “Smeets don't deserve that.”

  
  
Zetiya chanced her hand on his shoulder, “I understand, Dom. It ain't pretty, and I hate it too.”

  
  
He gradually looked into her eyes, worried. “Did I...?”

  
  
She shook her head, “I didn't see any innocents out there, Dom. You didn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it.”

“I still lost control.” Domino said softly, “I just...I wanted to destroy them all.” He glared over at the ruined body near the desk. “All I wanted to do was exact revenge.”

Zetiya laid her other hand on his shoulder, staring straight at him. “I hate to say it, sweetie, but this is a good thing.”

He stilled, watching her curiously. “Eh?”

She pulled on a tired smile, “You were angry for all the right reasons, Dom. It shows me how much you ain’t tainted by Empire ideals. Normal Irkens, they wouldn’t give a flying fuck if they saw youngers bein’ enslaved and females bein’ violated. You have somethin’ most Irkens don’t have, hun. You have a conscience and a sense of morality in ya.” She squeezed his shoulders gently, “Now I wouldn’t have gone on a bloodthirsty rampage to prove a point, but on the bright side, you were able to snap out of it.”

“After you slammed a fucking weapon into my face.” Domino mused sarcastically, still feeling sore. He managed a smile anyway, eventually standing. “I suppose we should be collecting all the prisoners.” He gazed at the room, taking in the shelves and the collection of fine liquor. His eyes didn’t leave the liquor, grinning slowly. “We shouldn’t stop at just the slaves, Zet. There’s some things here that would go to waste if we don’t use them.”

Zetiya was looking at something else entirely, a Vortian sized safe that was terribly hidden. She stepped over to it, avoiding the body. “How much do you think is in this safe right now?” She asked, grinning deviously.

Domino’s attention wavered over to the safe, but it was focused on the liquor. “Depends.” He stepped over to the table and picked up a glass bottle with a gold sheen, popping open the bottle and taking a good whiff. It was the one indulgence as a Tallest-elect that he actually enjoyed, the fine selection of drinks that he had at his disposal. He always liked to indulge after training, trying each and every bottle that was in the cabinet inside his room.

Zetiya was watching him and the sight made her laugh, turning her attention back to the safe and thinking as she dug into her tool belt and pulled out a small box. “Let’s see what we have.” She said then, flipping open the box and taking out the tools to work on picking the lock.

Domino chanced a small drink from the bottle in his hands, feeling the fire run down his throat and grinning when the warmth shot back up his spine. “Oh yeah, that’s a good one.” He praised.

“Don’t get drunk on me.” Zetiya warned, clicking her tongue as she worked. “Why don’t you do somethin’ useful and look for the slaves, they must be scare--” She stopped then, taking another look at Domino and taking in his appearance. Covered in blood and looking slightly menacing. That just wouldn’t do. “Better yet, I’ll do that, don’t wanna scare em anymore than they are now.” She decided to tackle the safe later, putting her tools away and leaving.

There was a good chance that Domino was going to be drunk by the time she got back, Zetiya thought, but ignored it for now as she descended the elevator and learned her way around the facility. She came upon the holding room a while later, the aliens cowering at first sight of someone entering the room.

“I’m not here to harm you!” Zetiya called out to them, knowing at least most of them knew how to speak Vortian. “Me and my companion are here to free yall.”

Different aliens perked their heads up and translated to those who were still waiting for something to happen, murmurs erupting inside the room until cries of happiness filled the room. It made Zetiya smile, and she swung the gun around her shoulder.

Only to have it ripped away from her grasp.

Zetiya cried out, stumbling further inside when someone kicked her into the room, the alien snarling at her and aiming her own gun at her chest. “I ain’t lettin’ a fuckin’ defective an’ a vort kill me off.”

A flash of movement glinted in Zetiya’s eyes and she chuckled, the fear leaving her instantly, “Oh honey, I woulda ran away while you still could.” She said without sympathy, spotting glaring violet eyes. “Bye, hun.”

The alien didn’t have time to look back before a pack leg skewered through the other’s gut, the alien screaming in bloody agony and causing the slaves to scream, pointing directly at the really tall Irken that appeared when the alien crumpled up dead on the floor.

Zeitya grimaced at the screams, looking up at Dom and watching him lean against the doorway, a bottle of liquor in one hand. He took a swift drink, proceeding to kick the body aside with a scowl.

The screams and pleas drowned out whatever he said and Zeitya groaned audibly, getting herself upright and turning towards the slaves.

So much for not scaring them.


	5. Retristè

The safe was filled with cash cards that were worth about 2 billion in monies that was split between them, and after about two clicks of convincing the newly freed slaves that Domino wasn’t like any other defective Irken, they managed to gather all of them onto the cargo ship. It was a tight fit for the aliens, but if it meant that they weren’t going to be trapped for the rest of their lives, they were prepared to be uncomfortable for another click.

It didn’t mean that Domino didn’t get stares every time he was near them. They looked at him like he was an oddity, something abnormal and a possible threat. Even if he helped free them, they still didn’t seem to trust him. Domino cooly ignored those stares from the aliens, used to the fact that no one would trust him outright. Not even Zetiya trusted him fully, he wasn’t stupid. He was a Tallest-elect, someone who was an Irken Elite and a defective on top of that. They assumed he would go off on all of them at any time. His race had done a good job in ensuring that no one could ever see an Irken in a positive light.

It didn’t help that he was coated in blood, though.

He set the box of liquor bottles next to his seat, because he’d be damned if he’d leave such a valuable collection of booze behind. He looked over to Zetiya, who was already in the drivers seat and waiting patiently for him to secure his treasure.

“You better not be too drunk to handle any ambushers.” Zetiya commented harshly.

“One bottle doesn’t do anything to me.” Domino waved her off and secured himself, “Five bottles, possibly, but not one. It’s merely a pleasant warmth in my spooch right now.” He pulled on a reassuring grin at her horrified look.

“Five bottles? Oh honey you sound like an alcoholic.” She pulled out of the loading dock, “Not even a Vort can handle more than two.”

Domino shrugged, “I had enough time to build up a resistance to it. Being a Tallest-elect doesn’t actually require much of anything except learning political knowledge, and it was a nice way to wind down between training and having to deal with the idiots around me.” Domino glanced out the window, “I drank more after their encounters with me, of course.”

Zetiya didn’t answer that, shaking her head. They stayed quiet for a beat before she finally looked at him, “You know this mission is just the start, right?”

He looked back at her, “Start?”

“Of puttin’ yourself out there. Dom, honey, word’s gonna spread about what you did. Once we get back to Nar, he’s goin’ to be flippin’ on his head over what you done for the Antemps. This is the first step, Dom, and every mission after that will just get you further up that chain.”

Domino listened quietly, nodding slowly as he thought. “Let’s just take it one job at a time, I don’t really think I’m going to become this scion of hope you want me to be in such a quick amount of time. As long as I get to help out the Anti-Empires, I don’t care if I’m on top or in the background.”

“You ain’t made to be a background player, Dom. You’re goin’ to be somethin’ that other Irkens look up to, the Irkens that also think the way you do. The resistance is going to get larger because of you. We already have about two-hundred prisoners already!” She gestured to the back of the ship. “Lard Nar won’t think your story is a lie once we unload all of them onto that commune. There’s auction houses all over space, Dom, we can free all of them.”

The more he thought about it the more he smiled. He had a feeling Zetiya was right, as she always was. But this was too soon to tell, because once they dropped off the rest of the slaves then Lard Nar would just begin to trust his story. He was a rookie right now. He was still fresh. All of this was going to be like what he was used to, working hard for the respect he needed and taking sweeps for people to realize his worth.

“I’d prefer to wash this blood off before we report back.” Domino said finally, flicking off a patch of dried blood from his arm. “I have a feeling just coming back like this won’t really win me some brownie points.”

“When we get back to my ship we can take a break for a moment, and then I want ya drivin’ this cargo ship back to the commune.” Zetiya smirked at him, “After that, let’s play it by horn.”

* * *

A quick scrub with cleansing soap got rid of all the blood from the major parts of his body and with a change of robes, he looked less menacing and insane. Zetiya programmed a cloaking device onto the cargo ship as a large ship like that spotted going to an abandoned rock just screamed like an invitation to bounty hunters and other undesirables.

Domino was able to fit past the floating meteors that acted like a barrier between the resistance camp and the rest of the world, only deactivating it when they arrived onto the rock itself.

What greeted them was Lard Nar and another alien, more and more of them gathering at the sight of the cargo ship with wide eyes and breathy whispers.

Zetiya was out first, grinning widely at her cousin and gesturing to the ship, “I told ya he could do it.” She said proudly.

Lard Nar swallowed thickly, going pale. He didn’t expect Domino to do it, but at the same time he had a nagging feeling in his gut that told him he would. He wasn’t prepared for this, for any of this. The sight only became horrible when he finally looked upon what was inside the cargo ship. All those aliens…

“You can’t do this.” Lard Nar said aloud, glaring at Domino. “There’s too many.”

Domino frowned, “What do you mean too many? This is every single slave we found in that place.” He opened the hatch wider, gesturing for everyone to come out.

Lard Nar shrieked and quickly shut the hatch, hissing at the Irken. “You don’t understand!” He rasped, “I was only expecting 50 prisoners, we only have enough room for 50 of them! We don’t have enough rations and space for all these aliens!”

Zeitya and Domino narrowed their eyes at him, “What do you expect us to do?” Zetiya cried out.

“All of these aliens are slaves! We can’t just abandon them and hope for the best!” Domino shouted, “They’ll easily get picked up by the wrong person!”

Lard Nar didn’t back down, “Why do you think I wanted you to start out at the one passing cargo ship? I never expected you to come back with more than that!”

“I fucking did my job and freed all these slaves just for you to refuse to help them?” Domino hissed out dangerously, glaring at Lard Nar.

Lard Nar nervously gripped his gun, rising to his full height, which wasn’t much, “There’s a time when you learn that you can’t save everyone, Irken. There are things that cannot be helped and I bloody well can’t support all of these mouths to feed! We’re not strong enough financially for this.”

Domino grimaced, recoiling and digging into his sash to pull out a couple of cash cards. “Then take this!” He shoved it in Lard Nar’s hands. “We unearthed 2 million monies along with the slaves. Use that to support everyone!”

Zeitya watched the argument, looking grim as Domino attempted to help the situation. “It won’t last, Dom.” She said ruefully.

Lard Nar shoved the cash cards back into Domino’s hands. “Zet’s right, even if we had the monies for feeding all of them, we still don’t have adequate room to house them. What you see on this rock is all that we have, and we can’t afford to pick up and move to a bigger one.”

Domino scowled at him, growing irritated, “What do you expect us to do?”

When Lard Nar didn’t answer Domino ran his fist into the side of the ship, startling those who were listening to their argument. “These aliens deserve a chance at freedom, you piece of shit!” He shouted at the top of his voice, “I refuse to allow them to go back into slavery or be put through anything worse, they don’t deserve to be cast aside!”

“Domino!” Zetiya quickly got between them, pushing the Irken back into the cockpit. “Hey, Nar.” She bodily blocked Domino from leaving the small room, “Remember those contracts we set up all those sweeps back, are they still active?”

Lard Nar thought about her words, glancing over at the cargo window at the eyes of females glowering at him. He ignored it easily, looking back at Zetiya. “We still keep in touch.”

“Zerkon, is he still sellin’ dead planets?” She questioned further.

“Zerkon—“ Domino hissed out when Zetiya elbowed him sharply in the gut.

Lard Nar slowly nodded, “The last I heard of him, he’s procured quite a business for himself.”

“And what about Ker’ten.” She questioned further, mentioning names that were only relevant to her and her cousin. Domino stayed silent, knowing that Zeitya was going somewhere with what she was saying.

Lard Nar was quickly realizing what Zetiya was trying to do with all the names she was mentioning, grinning at her quick wit given the situation she was in. “It’s not going to be cheap, Zet. What you’re planning, your 2 million is going to cover enough, but then—“

“I ain’t worried about that, Nar. I got enough weapons to trade for more supplies. Vortian metal is gettin’ rare outside the empire.” She said confidently.

“Are you sure about this?” Lard Nar questioned then, gesturing to the freed slaves, “Running a resistance camp is harder than it seems.”

“It ain’t gonna be a resistance camp, hon.” She smirked at him, “It’s gonna be a trading post.”

Domino tilted his head to the side, “Trading post….”

“Think about it, Dom. We build ourselves a trading post where travelers can import and export their goods. They will have to go through us if they want money and we will go and sell their wares and make a profit. Those profits will go to fund Nar’s resistance and everyone in there,” She gestured to the back of the ship, “Will be working for us. I know my way around business, Dom. I know how to allocate funds and haggle with traders. We will grow and expand and dependin’ on our location we can get popular quick.”

Lard Nar slowly nodded, “That’s actually a…marvelous idea. It’s a front-job for the resistance, we would benefit greatly with one of those. Anti-empires would carry the word of mouth and make your trading post popular if they knew you were behind it all, Zet. Although…” He looked at Domino pointedly, “This one would become a liability.”

Domino’s eye twitched, “Excuse me?”

“You’re an Irken, no one will bargain or even sell to an Irken. I don’t care what you claim to believe.” Lard Nar stated.

“Domie here can work behind the scenes,” Zetiya said calmly, “Besides, he knows what he has to do if he wishes to get word out to his own people.”

“Well, yes.” Lard Nar cleared his throat, “I’ll believe in Anti-empire Irkens when I see them with my own eyes.”

“WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE?” Domino shouted.

Lard Nar brushed him off, turning away from the cargo ship and stepping back down, “Earn your keep around here, Domino, and perhaps I’ll consider your allegiance.”

Domino bit back some choice words, folding his arms and glaring after the Vortian, “I really hate your fucking cousin.” He told Zetiya.

“Honey, you’re going to get pissed off pretty damn quick if you don’t realize now that this is everyone’s opinion about Irkens.” She smiled reassuringly at him, “He’ll come around, all you need is time, hun.”

Domino shrugged, casting one last glance at the people inside and noticing how they were staring at him differently. He watched them as they stared on in complete awe before he finally turned away and sat back down in the driver’s seat.

Zetiya watched him brood and shook her head, sure of her own plan before stepping down to return to her own ship.

* * *

It didn’t take long for Zetiya to contact Zerkon for a haggle, doing all the work because if her contacts knew about Domino then the plan would go to shit real fast. The alien set her up with a good plot of land on a good route for traders, offering a good deal that Zetiya couldn’t refuse. Domino had to give her credit, everyone _did_ know and trust this female. He realized that he became lucky that she was on his side and keeping him at her side, breathing out a sigh of relief on his part.

Zetiya led them to their new abandoned planet, which was big enough for more than everyone he had. Domino opened the hatch to lead them out of the cargo truck while Zetiya explained their situation to everyone.

“What I’m plannin’ to do involves all of you!” She said to the translators, “We refuse to allow y’all to be put back into slavery so this is what we’re going to do. We are gonna make a home for all of us, everyone will be separated into groups. Some of us will work, some of us will cook, those who can’t will take care of the youngins. When we are done you will have a full fledged job if you wish for it, and those who have homes elsewhere will be taken back to where they are needed. You’re welcomed to stay, and if you do we will employ y’all, and give you a new life.”

Murmurs and happy cries filled the silence when Zetiya stopped talking, the youngers were already out playing with each other.

“What about food?” A female asked aloud, “What about shelter?”

“I got all that covered, hun. Thank you for askin’. I have contacts that owe me a few favors and they will provide us with everythin’ we need. When I say we’re gonna work then I mean we’re gonna work, our goal is to open a tradin’ post within the next few cycles.” She dug into a box in front of her, pulling out some capsules. Everyone stared at them, confused. “These are things we call Insta-houses. There’s a tablet inside each one of them. I want you to design the place you wish to live in and bury it into the ground, the tablet will return into the capsule and a home will be made. It’s another invention of Vortian tech that Irken Invaders use to make their base, though the ones we have here are outdated. They still work.”

She handed one capsule out to each of the females, saving one. She turned away from them as they began to make their own home, going towards her ship. Domino was still inside, making himself scarce. Zetiya blinked, hearing capsules burrow into the ground, turning back to see one of the homes being built, something that looked like a giant five story building. She grinned, turning back to the door and stepping into the ship. “Thought you might want to make a house, hun.” She held up one of the capsules, tossing it to him.

Domino caught the tool and stared at it for a moment, “Your contacts thought of everything, huh?”

“I got friends in high places.” She agreed, “We have two-hundred aliens to think about, Dom, I want to make sure my plan goes without a hitch. That means I want everyone to work hard - especially you.”

Domino turned to her, “What am I supposed to do when I’m technically not allowed to show myself to the masses? I’m an Irken, and that cousin of yours said it himself, no one will sell to an Irken.”

“Not now,” Zetiya smiled slightly, “You’ll need to give it time, Dom. When they realize who they’re makin’ business with then they’ll come around to you. Right now you’re new to the cause, we need everyone to get used to ya. You won’t automatically be accepted right away.”

“The females accept me.” Domino frowned, gesturing outside of the ship.

“That’s only because they heard you fightin’ for their freedom. They appreciate you wantin’ to give them a fightin’ chance. Not everyone will be easily swayed.”

Domino sighed, passing her by to gaze outside, watching as a small city was being built. “How am I supposed to make money?”

Zetiya thought, “Do somethin’ you’re good at. Ask around, see if the females want to help you with an idea.”

The Irken nodded, stepping off of the ship quietly and pocketing the capsule, heading to the group that were fawning over their buildings. With as much people they had the commune looked bigger than Lard Nar’s. The closer he came to the others the more their attention turned to him, every one of them staring at him in this transfixed silence that they couldn’t pull themselves out of. He stopped when he was close to one of the buildings, looking at the tall structure.

One of the females stepped closer to him, the only one who would chance in doing so. “Do you like it?” She asked.

“I’ve seen my fare share of buildings on Irk, but with this much room what’re you planning to do with it?”

She smiled, “It’s a concept I’ve planned, I designed the building with twenty-five separate rooms, so twenty-five of us can have a roof over their heads.”

He nodded, “Smart.”

The female looked flattered that he had said that, her body changing color just slightly to match her emotion. “T-there’s room for you if you’d wish, I wouldn’t mind if you lived here.”

Domino finally looked away from the building, pulling out his capsule. “I got one of my own, I’m just figuring out what to do with it.”

She gazed along the row of buildings, looking for ideas. “Well some of us are making them into buildings for a business. There’s a few of us with other talents, but the majority of the females don’t have any talents other than…what they were sold for.” Her voice dropped in a whisper. “If anyone, I feel sorry for them, they don’t know of anything else other than what they used to do.”

That seemed to catch him, and Domino went quiet, staring at his capsule in thought. He didn’t like that a lot of the slaves here had no other talent, and he wondered how he could work with that, his hand slowly turning the capsule for a moment before getting an idea. The idea was foolish at best, but it seemed pretty sound, and it would rake in monies if the idea went off the ground. He slowly grinned and turned to the female. “I think I know what to do.” He said then, reaching out with his free hand to touch her arm. “Would you mind helping me with this? I’ll need a translator.”

The female blinked, watching Domino curiously as the man activated the tablet and began designing a building, especially the interior. “Anything, you saved me and my _havlen_.”

Domino’s tongue poked out from the corner of his mouth as he drew everything, excitement flooding his features until he finished, the tablet going back into the capsule. “Help me find a plot.”

* * *

By the time Zetiya came back out of the ship she could see a group of females rallied around Domino, all of them talking over each other as he did his best to listen. She tilted her head at the sight, because they were practically all over him. It was a strange sight, to say the least. She stepped off of the ship, heading over to the crowd, though the closer she came to the group the more she could see a building, a magenta building with a neon sign in the front of it, to which half the females were staring at.

The sign read _The Kasbah_.

“What’s goin’ on?” Zetiya asked, curious about the building. “Domie, is this your building?”

“Zet!” Domino’s antennae perked up at the sight of her and he politely pushed past the other aliens to get to her, “Zet you would be proud of me! I found a way that we could get a lot of traffic to the planet and a load of monies!”

The female looked stricken, “Really? What’re you planning?”

The Irken grinned widely, “I’m making a brothel!”

When the females chittered in response, it was the only sound. Zetiya went still, staring at Domino like he lost his brain meats. “You’re _what_?”

“Think about it, Zet. Most of the females here are former slaves, it would be wonderful if we—“

“We’re not forcing the slaves into SEX WORK!” Zetiya’s scream was almost deafening. “Dom that’s that STUPIDEST IDEA—“

“Let me explain!” Domino cried out, his antennae lowering submissively as he cowered slightly. She was frightening when she was angry. “Let me explain,” He repeated. “Most of the girls don’t know anything else other than what they already know, and this would be a great chance for them to make money without having to worry about what else to do. The customers will pay the girls, the girls will give me a cut of the money. Tied in with liquor sales then we would be able to double the income that you plan to create.”

“Domino it’s still the stupidest idea you ever thought of!” Zetiya moaned in exhaustion. “Forcing these dear aliens to do that is just wrong—“

“Oh I have some volunteers already.” Domino chirped, smiling. “The whole point of this is that no one is being forced into this. The girls are the bosses, I’m just the man behind it.”

“But what if you get customers that want to harm them? What are you going to do about that?” She asked heatedly.

“We thought of that too, actually, it was Dimynd who thought of that one.”

Zetiya’s forehead wrinkled. “Dimynd?”

“Here!” The slender alien from before raised one of her hands, her hue back to being an opalescent shade of white. “Please don’t yell at Domie, he just pitched the idea to me, I’m the one who took the idea to everyone else. But on the matter of rowdy customers I thought that Domie could train all of us how to fight, since he used to be in the Irken Elite.”

Zetiya’s eye twitched, “ _Domie_?”

Domino smiled sheepishly, “They like me.”

The Vortian female didn’t say anything else, folding her arms in frustration. “How many of the females are willing to do this?”

“Just about everyone here.” Domino gestured to the group, which were about twenty females. “They think it’s a great idea.”

Zetiya stewed in her frustration, “Are you going to take responsibility for them if something happens?”

“Nothing will happen.” Domino said smoothly, looking sure of himself. “Because once they know who the proprietor of the establishment is, no one will dare to fuck with me.” His smile was so calm and collected.

The females continued to chitter with excitement and Domino’s smile remained. The only one who wasn’t keen on the idea was Zetiya, only seeing bad things come out of this entire idea. Though, from how excited they looked she wondered if the added extras would be worth it. Basic defense training would actually do them some good, and since he was an Irken Elite, they couldn’t get a better teacher.

Zetiya stayed silent, looking over at the sex club with weary eyes. He was right, it would gain them fantastic revenue, and there would be more traffic than she initially hoped for.

“…I can learn how to mix drinks.” She said quietly, looking away from the club.

Domino’s smile grew wider.

“—ONLY because with me there it would be added security!” Zetiya stressed, “No one fucks with me either.”

Domino let out a happy trill and tackled Zetiya, hugging her tight and jumping in place.

“Retristè is going to become a hotspot for activity!” Domino said excitedly.

“Retristè?”

“Yeah.”


	6. The Brothers

Multiple cycles passed since the official opening of Retristè. The planet slowly gained its reputation through word of mouth about everything it had to offer for Antemps. The trading post was established, but the gem of the planet was Domino’s Kasbah, which brought in more business than Domino previously expected. Everyone seemed to want to blow off steam during their travels, be it with a good female or a few drinks. Either way, Domino’s idea became popular with the masses. Those that didn’t wish to stay were taken to their families, yet those that stayed would start their own businesses alongside the Kasbah. The planet nearly had everything it needed.

Though, along with the word-of-mouth about the planet, so came the word-of-mouth about the Kasbah’s mysterious owner. Domino wasn’t out on the gossip, though while no one knew his name, everyone was privy to the one lone Irken in the group of aliens. Descriptions were enough, the height spoke for itself, and soon came the rumors of the missing Tallest hiding on the resistance planet. No one quite understood why an Irken with a two-hundred million monies bounty on his head would hide in plain sight of Antemps. That’s where Zetiya came in. Anyone who came to her with the question was told about the Antemp Irken named Domino, who fled the Empire because he disagreed with everything it stood for. His being defective was the only thing that wasn’t mentioned, but the news of an Antemp Irken spread like wildfire. Soon people weren’t just coming to Retristè to trade wares, but they were coming to meet the aforementioned Irken. He was a curiosity to the masses, and while some had their doubts, others knew that Zet wasn’t a liar.

When Domino finally went to deliver Lard Nar his first cash card to fund the resistance, even the Vortian was struck, as the rumors had reached the commune, and with that came more refugees looking for a way out. Begrudgingly, Lard Nar had a feeling that the rumors wouldn’t stop, but so far there weren’t any sightings of Irkens just like Domino. He was still the anomaly, the only Irken who fled the Empire and its ideals.

Or at least, that’s what he thought.

It was on a business trip that Lard Nar found himself on Foodcourtia, above ground. The planet was packed as it always was, people everywhere looking for their next gluttonous fix. Food was a universal currency, which one could buy and sell to get whatever they wanted, depending on the rarity of the food itself. If you didn’t die from eating it, then the food was valuable enough to keep. Though, what Lard Nar was after wasn’t food at all, it was more resistance members he was looking for. Now that Domino was funding their cause they had enough monies to recruit more members, but the last thing he was going to do was show his gratitude to a filthy Irken.

Lard Nar stopped walking once he was near an intersection, his eyes gazing across the horizon for anyone looking out of place. When he started to walk again, someone had run into him. “Watch it!” He shouted, turning back to notice an alien in a shroud pass him by. Lard Nar’s forehead wrinkled and he reached for his pocket, realizing that his money satchel was missing, “What the—HEY!” He turned towards the shrouded alien, who heard his cry and began to weave through the crowd. Lard Nar picked up his speed, trying to keep up with the pickpocket, but when the alien ducked away into an alley, Lard Nar made for the other side. Thankfully he knew the layout of Foodcourtia enough to fool anyone trying to run from him.

The shrouded alien looked to the crowd of people, waiting for the Vortian to pass, but upon seeing no one the male sighed, gripping the money satchel in one hand while breaking into a whistle. He looked free-and-clear, until Lard Nar let out a cry, jumping out from the other side and bodily tackling the alien. The male let out a strangled yelp, but no one around them heard the noise.

“Bloody thief.” Lard Nar hissed out, grasping for his satchel. “Just what on Vort do you think—“ His words slowly died in his mouth as the thief’s hood fell away, revealing a red-eyed Irken with dark green skin. The Irken winced when Lard Nar pulled out his gun. “Give me one good reason not to shoot you.”

“I’m not planning on attacking you if you’re worried about that.” The Irken said honestly. “All I wanted was some monies for food.”

The Vortian stared at him suspiciously, “Doesn’t the Empire give you dogs an allowance?”

The Irken looked away, “Runaways don’t get an allowance.”

“Eh?”

Runaways? This Irken was a runaway? Lard Nar stared at the Irken incredulously, waiting for a punchline to the joke. He then thought back to Domino, and shook his head silently. No, there wasn’t such a thing as Antemp Irkens…Domino was a defect. He was rare…

The Irken shifted from under Lard Nar. “I really don’t want to die today, man. My brother is waiting for me.”

Lard Nar frowned, “Brother… Irkens don’t have siblings.”

He smiled brightly, “You’d be surprised.”

The Vortian pocketed his gun, feeling torn. How was this Irken a runaway, that’s his first thought. He needed answers. And a brother, Irkens were clones born from tubes, they couldn’t produce siblings, they were sterile. “What’s…your name?” He couldn’t believe he was going to do this.

“Dios.” The Irken grinned, “Yours?”

“None of your business.” Lard Nar spat, getting off of him. “Before I give you any information about me I wish to know why you’re calling yourself a runaway.”

Dios slowly got to his feet, scratching the back of his head slightly. “Well…it’s a long story, but we thought that if Dom could do it then we could too.”

The mention of Dom made Lard Nar pause, Dom…Domino? “Domino?”

Dios’s eyes widened, “You know him too? He’s great, we hatched within fifteen minutes of each other but I think he should know me. Me and Adon are looking for a way to find him but so far we’re stuck here looking for food.”

Lard Nar looked speechless, staring at him dumbly for a moment. This felt like a strange and twisted dream he was having, and he smacked himself because of it. He blinked, seeing that Dios was still standing there. Lard Nar ended up sighing.

“If I buy you two food will you tell me your story?”

If Domino found out that he passed up two runaway Irkens then he’d never hear the end of it.

* * *

A click later and Dios was leading Lard Nar through the alleyways, climbing the ladder to one of the buildings. “We found a place not so far from here.” He handed Lard Nar the sobbing bag of grease and used his free hand to pull down another ladder, swinging over to it and hooking his legs on, leaning back down to grab his bag again. “It’s a pain, having to pickpocket people. So far you’re the only one that noticed right away.”

“How nice.” Lard Nar remarked flatly, ascending the ladders and joining Dios into an abandoned part of a building. Sitting at the far end of the room was another Irken with purple eyes, wearing a tattered and torn doctors coat.

“I was part of the Irken Armada and Dios was a doctor, we have another brother named Khan but he’s still on Vort, being a scientist.”

“Why do you call yourself brothers?” The Vortian queried, curious.

“Because the three of us were hatched at the same time.” Dios explained, going over to Adon and tossing him the bag. “Eat up, I made a friend.”

Adon caught the bag, saying nothing. He looked steadily at Lard Nar without a word, the Vortian becoming irritated that the Irken wasn’t thanking him.

“You could at least say thank you.”

Adon set the bag aside and gestured with his hands, but the Vortian didn’t understand.

“Adon was hatched without vocal cords.” Dios explained, “He’s thanking you, by the way.”

Lard Nar frowned, never having heard of an Irken without any physical defects at all. “He’s defective.” He surmised.

“Not all defects are mental.” Dios supplied, taking his own bag as Adon began to eat. “We got out a cycle after Domino had left, and I hate that Khan is still in the Empire, because he has it the worst out of all of us. An Irken named Zim left him with nervous tics and anxiety, but for some reason Tallest Miyuki loved him. He’s still on the inside.”

Lard Nar folded his arms. “Why did you leave?”

“Because of Adon.” Dios said honestly, “Irkens with physical defects have a shelf life, it was just a matter of time before the Tallests had the idea to delete him. The fact that he can’t communicate normally is a huge problem, and it makes them look bad if they’re allowing an Irken like that to live. Miyuki didn’t mind it, but I don’t know about Red and Purple.”

It sounded awful, coming from an outsider’s standpoint. If someone with a birth defect was sighted for termination then he didn’t blame them in running away. But they now had nowhere to go and were living off of stolen monies. It was hardly any way to live. Lard Nar felt a growing agitation, because he assumed Domino was the only Irken runaway, when in reality there were more Irkens who didn’t want to be under the Empire’s rule, and while these two didn’t leave because they didn’t agree with them, they were still outcasts.

“Why are you trying to find Domino?” Asked Lard Nar, about to make his decision based on Dios’s answer.

“Because he had it right.” Dios told him, “Domino left because he didn’t agree with the Empire, he wants to change things. We want to help him out anyway we can, and maybe he could help us get Khan out of there as well. We hear the rumors, he’s on a planet now…Retristea?”

“Retristè.” Lard Nar corrected him, thinking. “…how about this? I’ll take you to Domino.”

Adon nearly choked on his food and Dios dropped his bag to slap his brother’s back. “Say what?”

“I’ll take you to Domino.” Lard Nar repeated, glaring slightly. “Don’t act so shocked.”

Dios looked overjoyed, turning his eyes onto Lard Nar, “You’re a prince.”

The Vortian blinked, his skin flushing slightly as he looked away, glaring at nothing in particular. “Just eat.”

* * *

If someone told Domino that Lard Nar would ever step foot on Retristè, then he would have laughed them out of the club. The last thing he expected was to see Lard Nar at the landing dock, with two Irkens at his side.

Zetiya was out first, and thankfully it was closing hours as neither of them could afford to leave the club otherwise. Domino went still at the sight of Dios and Adon, vaguely remembering the two of them. He slowly made his way to them, looking back at the club to see the females pressed up against the glass in their own curiosity. He chuckled and continued his walk, stopping a tick away. “I’d never thought I’d see you here.” He said then.

Lard Nar took one hard look at Domino, there was something different about him but he couldn’t quite pick it up…until he noticed the black markings around his biceps. “You marked yourself.” He said.

Domino raised his left arm, staring at the black tattoo for a moment, “One of the females talked me into it, says it makes me look more intimidating.”

She was right, Lard Nar thought. “I found these two at Foodcourtia, they were trying to find you.”

Dios was the first to step forward, “Been a while Domie.”

Domino pulled on a smile, “Dios…don’t tell me he caught you trying to set something on fire.”

Lard Nar turned his head to stare at Dios, who laughed nervously, his antennae bobbing. “No…uh…exnay on the irefray.”

Adon looked amused, giving Domino a wave.

“Adon, Dios, welcome to Retristè. The Vortian beside me is Zetiya, she’s the one who helped me find this place.” He gestured to Zetiya, who smiled.

“It’s a pleasure hun.”

“Adon was hatched without vocal cords.” Domino continued, “And Dios has…” He looked over at Dios, who sharply shook his head. “Dios is his own bag of trouble.”

“DOM!” Dios shrieked, looking over at Lard Nar quickly before stepping away from him. “Stop teasing me.”

Lard Nar looked suspicious, quirking an invisible brow and putting his hands on his hips. “Well this is fun and all, but I was doing something before finding your groupies.”

“What were you doin’, Nar?” Asked Zetiya, still smiling.

The Vortian looked disturbed, “I was looking for…resistance members…” He glanced at Domino, “Now that we have monies for extra mouths to feed.”

Domino grinned, “I’m doing good helping you, aren’t I?”

“Don’t get a big head over it.” The alien hissed out.

Dios looked oblivious, looking over at Domino. The Irken only smirked, “Lard Nar doesn’t like Irkens.” He explained simply.

Something about that seemed to strike Dios oddly and he looked put-out, turning his broken-hearted gaze onto Lard Nar, who caught the look, bewildered, “I don’t like _the Empire!_ Get it right, you filthy thing.” He kept his gaze on Dios, who ended up smiling.

Domino only grinned, “Anyway, if I remember correctly, Adon is a doctor, and we’ve been needing a doctor.” He looked over to Adon, who smiled at the suggestion and nodded, puffing out his chest and thumping his fist onto it. “Great…but…remind me Dios, what’s your specialty?”

There was a long stretch of silence, and Dios only coughed, looking down. “I was the leader of my squadron…I know how to motivate people.”

“Leader…” Domino scratched his chin, looking from Dios to Lard Nar. “You know…if we’re going to open up the resistance to Irkens, they’re going to need a leader. I mean, Lard Nar is already the leader of the resistance, but what if we placed an Irken at his side? It would increase morale to know that there’s Irkens out there that want to stray from the Empire itself.”

“I thought you were the leader of the resistance.” Dios said to him.

Domino let out a laugh, shaking his head, “All I do is fund the resistance. Lard Nar is the leader.”

“As it should be.” Lard Nar sniffed, folding his arms.

“So that means Dios should go with Lard Nar!” Domino added with a grin.

The silence that followed the statement was full of tension, and Lard Nar’s eye twitched, staring at Domino with utter annoyance. “Do you know what will happen if I allow an Irken to live on the compound?”

“I’m sure there’s going to be complaints.”

“There’s going to be more than complaints!”

Domino seemed to roll his eyes, “Tough shit, they’re going to have to learn to get along with Irkens if any more of them pop out of the woodwork. Dios is going with you or I’m going to fly him there myself.”

Lard Nar couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Domino was practically telling him what to do. Wasn’t he the boss? Although staring at Domino he felt like the Irken had changed since the first time they’ve met. He was less nervous and more sure of himself, enough to throw his weight around when it came to commanding things out of anyone.

He couldn’t imagine how it would have been if Domino had been a Tallest.

“Fine.” Lard Nar hissed out, glancing over at Dios, who seemed to be okay with the suggestion.

“If any of your members find a problem with it, they know where to find me.” Domino said then, folding his arms and standing up straighter.

It was then that Lard Nar realized that Domino was on his way to becoming an imposing creature, one that could do just about anything.


	7. Crux

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the referenced sexual abuse, just to let u kno

In time, the resistance planet became bigger and bigger. Soon there weren't just females and youngers on the planet, but males had relocated as well. More buildings were made, more trades were dealt, more customers were tended to. Since the discovery of Adon and Dios another Irken had joined the ranks. He was a taller red-eyed irken named Dayju. It was Domino that found him, having come here on his own and was nearly starving when he arrived. He was another runaway, just like the others. This time he was a runaway from Operation Impending Doom One, an Invader who had a crisis after having invaded a planet and befriending the indigenous aliens that lived there. He was meant to conquer and take over the planet for his Tallests, but suddenly he couldn’t bring himself to do that at all and suffered a mental breakdown because of it as his loyalties warred with his new sense of morality.

It took a couple cycles to nurse him back to health, Adon having been in charge of his rehabilitation. Within forty clicks he decided he wanted to try his hand at working at the Kasbah, and has been a dancer ever since.

But it gave Domino some clarity and news involving his least favorite Irkens. They were already going about pinning planets for destruction. He never liked the ideas of controlling a planet and enslaving the native race. He hated the fact that they were keen on the subject.

The next cycle officially marked one sweep since Domino had escaped Irk and Red and Purple’s rule, but even if he thought about how much had changed, he still had the same question in his mind. Why did they let him go?

His mind reflected back into the storage room, Purple’s insistence that he should leave, how…calm he seemed. It hadn’t left his mind, and no matter how many times he thought about it, he still couldn’t understand their motive. He still wondered if it was all a ploy, that they were giving him an illusion of freedom, only to come back at a later time and renege on their offer. That sounded more like them than the belief that they did it out of the _kindness of their hearts_ …

“Dom.”

Zetiya snapped Domino out of his thoughts, and he lowered his feet from the desk they were propped on, “What?” He ignored the fact that he had a tablet filled with tonnes of work at his side, opening his desk drawer and causally slipping the tablet inside. Zetiya rolled her eyes at the sight of that. Of course he was slacking on work.

“I have more important manners than to lecture you about your paperwork.” She folded her arms, “We just got a job.”

Domino’s antennae perked, “Job?”

By now it wasn’t strange for people to come to them about jobs. Either it was to deliver a message or rescue someone important to the one who assigned them, or possibly just help dismantle another group entirely. Most jobs came from Lard Nar, but the rest, the more sketchy ones came from outside anonymous sources that Zetiya had misgivings about. Domino took them anyway, because he wanted to get his name out there and prove a point. He was intending to make himself as intimidating as the Tallests themselves, because at this point in time the rumor mill was getting back to Irk and the idiots would possibly become interested in what Domino had made of himself.

“Anonymous source says there’s a problem on one of their planets.” Zetiya said to him, “They’re talking about a crazed Irken that’s been terrorizing their people. No one can get to the Irken without suffering serious injury and it’s not affected by any of their firepower. The Irken isn’t affiliated with the Empire so they want you to take care of the problem.”

Domino’s antennae flattened, “They want me to ‘take care of the problem’.” He knew what that meant, and it disgusted him.

“They’re offering five-hundred thousand.”

Domino sighed, “Sounds like an Irken that’s battle snapped.” He still didn’t agree with the job in general, but stood up anyway. “Let’s go there anyway, I want to see who this Irken is…”

Battle snapped Irkens were rare, but they were created from the horrific circumstances that came from war and destruction. The pressures brought on by killing, having to see others be killed, stress from the guilt and grief, or another type of trauma completely. Some Irkens, no matter how tough they were, had minds so fragile that they would snap at anything that triggered those memories. That’s when the actual snapping would happen, and they would turn homicidal and blindly rip apart anyone, it didn’t matter if the person was friend or foe. In Domino’s experience, they were the Irkens that needed help the most, yet never received it.

“What’s battle snapped?” Zetiya soon asked as they boarded the ship.

Domino frowned, placing himself into the pilots seat. “It’s… something that I can’t put in words. You’ll see once we get there.” He started the ship up once she shut the hatch.

* * *

_He was just a bright-eyed Irken, full of promise and hope. Eager to serve his Tallest, eager to be put out on the front lines. He was optimistic and pure, for an Irken, so smeetlike in nature, despite having come to the surface to undergo the Academy’s training. His name was Crux._

_In the Academy, this is where Irkens learned the subtitles of battle tactics and things like espionage and battle skills. Every Irken was put in a squadron, every squadron was lead by an older Irken, a General. The squadrons would be pitted against each other for mock battles, a game would be presented. It was the goal of each squadron to become the best one out there, lest they suffer embarrassment and shame of not being good enough. Your future coding was dependent of how well you did in your squadron, wether you would be put in the Irken Elite or made into a fast-food drone. Teamwork skills were a must if you wished to succeed._

_That’s where the Irken met another male, just as bright-eyed as him. His name was Len. Len’s eyes were blue as Crux’s eyes were red, polar opposites in their interests and likes, but friends all the same. They bunked together, shared meals together, trained together. On the mock battlefield they were ruthless and harsh, a duo that was reminiscent of Red and Purple in terms of their battle style._

_Yet, there was another Irken. Her name was Mish. She was the leader of the squadron, she was the Captain. She was Crux and Len’s mentor and advisor. Mish, however, liked to play favorites. While other instructors weren’t biased when it came to their individual squadrons, Mish prioritized one Irken above all the others she was given. She was fond of Crux, the innocent Irken who was full of light and hope._

_They say power corrupts, and that’s what it did. Mish made sure to use that power to suit her needs. She was the one in command, her rules were law. As the rest of the squadron would be tasked to train, Mish would keep one Irken behind for janitorial work. That Irken was always Crux. It wasn’t long until Mish wasn’t just satisfied with watching after Crux, she wanted more. Watching became encouraging pats, encouraging pats became loving hugs, loving hugs would become playful touches, and so on, and so on. Soon, Crux’s time with Len was cut down and his time with Mish was lengthened, the young Irken having to endure how caring and loving his Captain was. He didn’t think anything of it, not at first, but all that would change with the more they had done together, how the caress of his Captain would lead to things that he couldn’t speak of to anyone else._

_Yet, this was how it was, was it? Was this happening to other Irkens in other squadrons? Surely he was a lucky Irken to be loved by his Captain so much… surely… other Irkens… would want to be in his position… right?_

_Outside of Mish, however, outside of his intimate sessions, Crux and Len were still a fantastic duo. They still nearly did everything together, becoming closer to each other than they were to the rest of the squadron, but it was because of them that they were ranking up in first. No one could beat them, because Crux had Len at his side… yet Len…_

_He didn’t mean for it to happen, but it happened anyway. Crux’s closest friend began to harbor feelings for him, and the more he became aware of them the more Len became nervous and jumpy around Crux. The other Irken didn’t understand it, yet he also assumed that Len was reacting differently because his relationship with Mish. He had already experienced what older Irkens experienced when they were mature enough to do so._

_Crux couldn’t have predicted that Len’s sudden change was brought on by his affection._

_Crux didn’t know that Len was trying to talk himself into coming out to the other._

_It was nearing their end game, they were almost winning…_

_To celebrate, Len snuck some alcohol into the base, intending to have a special night with his dearest friend._

_Though, when a pat on the head turned into another type of touch, neither Irken expected the outcome._

_What was left was a bloodbath. Irkens gutted where they lay and blood coating every single part of the walls. Eyes were bludgeoned, heads were decapitated, entrails were strewn out, the body of Mish had been eaten, her leg and arm missing. They say the screams haunted those who hadn’t been there at the time, the ones who only heard the blood-curdling cries of the younger Irkens as their lives were torn from them._

_The only one that was found alive was Crux, drenched in blood, sobbing, and cradling a dead blue-eyed Irken in his arms, his eyes devoid of light._

_Nothing would ever be the same._

* * *

The ship touched down onto the purple planet, and once Domino was out of the hatch he was met with an alien. A blue alien with multiple eyes, all staring at Domino with a quiver of fear. Whether it was because of his name or his race, no one cared enough to ask.

“He’s locked himself in there.” Said the alien, pointing Domino towards a maze-like entrapment.

Domino didn’t say anything, turning away and heading to the entrapment. Zetiya stepped out to join him, but Domino turned then. “Zet, stay at the ship.”

Zetiya frowned, stepping back. She knew by now not to second guess Domino’s decisions, as they somehow worked out. She looked at the other alien, “How many are dead?”

The blue alien sighed, “I’ve lost count.”

Domino proceeded forward, keeping his back straight and his antenna up and alert. There was little to no sound to be had, the whole area was stagnant. When he reached the entrance to the entrapment a pack extension came out from behind him, the Irken using it to slice the metal away from the lock. It clattered to the ground after that, and that’s when Domino could hear the sound.

It sounded like an Irken in pain.

“I’m coming in.” Domino said in his native tongue, stepping through the entrance and choosing to go right. He rapped his knuckles on the walls, “I’m not going to sneak up on you. I’m right here.”

There was no reply, but Domino took that to be a good thing. He continued to make noise as he stepped forward, never reaching for the daggers in his sash. He didn’t need them.

The other Irken continued to hiss in pain, and soon Domino could see another door. He kept knocking on the walls, checking if the door was locked and finding that it wasn’t. “Tell me, are you injured?”

“Why do yeh want to know?” The Irken snarled out, “Leave.”

Domino had a feeling the Irken was battle snapped, and the last thing he wanted to do was kill someone who could be given a chance to heal. “I’m not leaving.” Domino told him, pushing open the door.

The Irken was curled up in the corner, blood covering his naked form. From there Domino could see scars marring every inch of his body, his blood-red eyes wide and staring directly at him. Domino stayed where he was.

“What’s your name?” He asked.

The Irken narrowed his eyes, “I have no name.”

“Yes you do, all of us Irkens are given a name.” He gave the other a cool smile, “My name is Domino.”

The Irken took that in, his antennae twitching in recognition, “…the Renegade Tallest.”

Domino chuckled, “Maybe. Now it’s your turn.”

There was a hesitation, a pause, the Irken looking away, “Crux.”

_Deaths of fifteen rookie forces…he’s known as—_

“The Crazed.”

When Domino said it Crux winced, glaring at the floor below him. “Are yeh here to kill me?”

“If I were here to kill you it’d be done by now.” Domino told him honestly, “You’re still breathing are you?”

Crux grunted, leaning back against the wall. His hand was over his chest, where a still-bleeding wound was present. Domino frowned at that and took a step forward, watching as the other flinched and moved to get up. Domino stopped, raising his hands up to show that he was unarmed. Crux kept his eyes on those hands, especially the two thumbs that weren’t missing from the equation.

“The Renegade Tallest meets with the Crazed…that sounds funny.” Crux mused dryly, wincing as he shifted.

“I doubt you’re crazy.” Domino said, without thinking. He didn’t notice the way Crux’s antennae flattened, his attention more on the other’s wound. “I have some medical spray in my pack, let me treat that.”

Crux didn’t move, his antennae still flattened in his demure state, allowing Domino to get closer. When the taller male knelt before him Crux felt anxious, breathing in and gazing up at the other, taking in the muscular structure and serious demeanor, violet eyes full of determination. He suddenly felt smaller than what he was. He was only just a head shorter than Domino, but now he felt like he was .92 meters tall. He stilled when Domino reached for his hand, saying nothing and allowing him to move it. Domino used his other hand to retrieve the medical spray, grasping it once he had it in his hand and moving to treat Crux’s wound.

Crux winced as the antiseptic hit his flesh. “…did yeh mean it?” He asked quietly.

Domino looked up at him, “Mean what?”

“That I’m not crazy.”

Domino continued to spray the wound as it began to seal. “…I heard about the story.” He said then, “You didn’t kill them for no reason, you’re battle snapped.”

Crux perked an antennae, “Battle snapped…”

“Heavy trauma causes Irkens to snap and lash out on others…whatever happened here…something made you snap. It doesn’t mean you’re crazy, it just means you need to be looked after.”

“…”

“Look.” Domino raised his free hand to Crux’s chin, wiping away the blood with his thumb. “I believe in chances, you obviously never gotten yours. Let me give you that chance. Come work for me, I own a club that could use some protection.”

He was trembling. Was he trembling? He wasn’t sure anymore, but the hand on his chin felt so warm and Crux shut his eyes, embracing that warmth. He hadn’t had that in ages, someone who touched him so gently. When he felt Domino’s hand start to slip away he reached up and caught the Irken’s wrist, holding it there. Domino reminded him of someone he once knew…someone who had kind eyes and the same confident gait.

When he opened his eyes again Domino was smiling at him. Something about that smile struck Crux in a certain way, and he began to tear up. He couldn’t stop himself from crying, tears streaking down his face. Domino kept his smile, moving to wipe them away with his thumb.

“Get it all out, okay?” He whispered, “We’re going to go back home.”

Crux continued to cry, his chest feeling warm and heavy for the first time in a long time.

_Home._

* * *

She didn’t like it, no. Zetiya was against every part of this, how Domino just brought a crazed Irken onto the ship and intending to take him home. Everyone knew of the Crazed. The Irken who was said to be a cannibal as well as having a few screws loose. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, afraid of the Irken snapping randomly and killing them both, but the longer she stared, the more Crux kept his eyes focused on the floor of the ship, trying to ignore the Vortian at Domino’s side.

“I can’t believe you’re bringing him to Retristè.” Zetiya whispered at Domino, “What about the females, what about the Youngers?” She didn’t notice Crux stiffening at the mention of them. “We’re gonna let loose a wild Irken onto—“

“Remember when you were against me making a brothel?” Domino interrupted her calmly, “And it turned out to be the most lucrative business we have?”

Zetiya glared at him, “This Ain’t some harebrained scheme to earn us money, Dom, we’re allowing a dangerous—“

“He can hear you.” Domino interrupted her again, and Zetiya flushed, folding her arms.

“This won’t go by the girls without complaint.”

“They can complain all they want, as long as they don’t go near him, everyone will be fine.” Domino smiled, “He’s going to protect the club, because I’m sick and tired having to wait until closing to go on a mission. I want a capable person to handle protecting the employees, and I think Crux can do that and more. The fact that he’s rumored to be crazy means nothing to me.”

Zetiya looked back at Crux again, watching as the Irken was staring directly at Domino. “He’s staring at you.”

Domino winked her way, “I’m a popular Irken, don’t you know that?”

Zetiya only grumbled, resting against the chair. “If something happens then you’re going to take responsibility.”

“Zet, you’re talking to me like I don’t know this already.” Domino glanced back at Crux, smiling at him. The Irken shied his eyes away, his cheeks burning. “Give him a chance, he deserves that much.” He said the last bit in a softer tone than before.

Zetiya looked over at Domino, watching him turn his eyes away from Crux, her gaze soon going to Crux, how the Irken sat with his legs crossed and his arms folded, trying not to look at them. “At least give him some clothes. He ain’t gonna be walkin’ around naked.”

* * *

Domino ended up donating to Crux some of his clothes, but try as he might the scarred Irken refused to wear anything, claiming all of it to be uncomfortable. It was a battle of wits that ended with a compromise, and the Irken ended up in a simple black pair of trousers. Domino figured it was better than nothing and accepted it.

The reception at the Kasbah was mixed. Crux’s presence there didn’t bring up alarm until his name was uttered, but Domino wasn’t planning on budging from his word. He promised to give Crux a chance, even if no one else would. He had given Crux a personal room on the bottom floor of the club, which was already outfitted with a bed.

Crux should have been used to the uneasy eyes upon him, but when everyone stared at him like he was a ticking time-bomb waiting to go off, he couldn’t help but feel inadequate. The only thing that kept him from leaving was Domino, who was the only one who looked at him without malice, contempt or even uneasiness. Domino greeted him like he was anyone else, he didn’t treat Crux with kid-gloves, but at the same time he respected his privacy and his personal boundaries. If leaving meant having to give up on staring at Domino all day, then he wasn’t ever going to do that. He made it his personal mission to be as useful to Domino as he could.

The one person who held the most distrust in Crux was Zetiya, who come to cherish the females as if they were her own children. She didn’t like how Domino treated him when everyone knew that this crazy cannibalistic Irken could have an episode at any moment and murder everyone in the club. It was Domino’s stupidest move, inviting the Crazed to take care of the club, though, as cycles passed and nothing detrimental happened, she couldn’t help but think it could be any day now.

Then…it happened.

It happened once before, but this time they brought friends with them. Bounty hunters breaking into the club. Whatever was going on was quickly ruined when the Irkens began to fire. They were after three people, Domino and Zetiya, but most of all Dayju, for abandoning the Empire on a mission. Thankfully, the females were able to defend themselves, as Domino couldn’t protect every single one of them. Zetiya managed to disable and shoot one of them, leaving two left.

She didn’t know how it happened, but one of them got the drop on Domino, knowing where to hurt him. They had taken one of the females hostage, pressing the gun barrel to her head. Domino was forced to disarm himself, because the one thing he cared about the most was the safety of those he looked after.

However, the two that were still alive were unaware of the third Irken in the club, the one that hadn’t been seen. Zetiya, however, could see him, the red blur. Her pulse-rate seemed to increase at the sight of him. The Crazed. Crux, as he sprang up on the first Irken and tore into him before he could even pull the trigger. The blood-curdling screams alerted the Irken that was waiting for his cue, his limbs already trembling from the sight of the Crazed being in the same room as he was. He aimed for Crux just as the female had run.

Crux looked up just in time to see Domino looming over the bounty hunter, his pack legs spearing the Irken from behind just as the other was about to shoot him. He ripped the leg back out and turned the bounty hunter around, who was now bleeding from his shoulder. Domino pressed his thumb into the wound as he gripped the other’s shoulder until he dropped the gun.

“I want you alive when you tell the Tallests that sending your kind into my planet is the stupidest idea they could ever think of.” His voice was a low growl, making the Irken shudder in fear. “Remember my kindness, because the next time you come here that kindness will be gone and I will have Crux split your skull open.”

He let go of the Irken after that, the orange-eyed bounty-hunter stumbling over himself as he ran for the door and towards the landing dock. Zetiya and Crux watched on, but it was Crux that spoke up.

“Do ya think that’s wise letting him go, boss?”

Domino smirked slightly, watching as the ship took off from the planet. “I have to send a message somehow.”

Crux snorted, staring at the window until he felt a hand tap his shoulder. He flinched, turning to the female that had been held hostage. She smiled at him.

“Thank you…for saving me.” She said quietly, “We were wrong about you.”

Crux blinked, bewildered, looking from her to Domino, who was only grinning. “Eh…no problem…” He mumbled.

“He’s doing what I brought him here for, protecting you girls.” Domino continued, walking over to Crux and putting his hand on the other’s shoulder. “You did great, Crux.”

The shorter Irken flushed at the praise, looking away, “Yeh need to clean up the club…” He went about grabbing the dead body so he could move it.

Zetiya only watched on, smiling slowly after a few ticks.

Domino was always right about his decisions, was he?


	8. The Almighty Tallests

Word got out after that, how Domino had the Crazed under his employ. How Domino was a frightening Irken that shouldn’t be messed with. How powerful Domino seemed to have become within one sweep and a dozen cycles. It was amazing how a runaway Irken who had nothing became a powerful Irken who had everything, including the loyalties of a cannibalistic killer.

“You have made a name for yourself, haven’t you?” Red thought.

Ever since he learned of what Domino had been doing ever since his fleeing the Empire, Red had been interested in finding out more and more. He found it amusing at first, but within time that amusement slowly faded. Domino was becoming something of a formidable foe, given who he was aligned with. It was just amazing to him how much of a threat he was starting to become, and he knew that it would only continue to grow if nothing was done about it.

“He needs to remember who he belongs to.” Red mumbled.

Domino may have been a growing threat to the Empire, but no one knew the link he held to the current Tallests, did they? If they knew who Domino was before he had become a frightening Irken then he would lose all his credibility, would he? To know that the fearsome Domino was once the personal plaything to Tallests Red and Purple, wouldn’t that _sting_?

It would surely take him down a few pegs, but outwardly humiliating him wasn’t really all that fun unless Domino was within touching distance. The thought of it was lovely, having Domino at his side, televised all through the universe, Red and Purple proclaiming to everyone watching that their dear scion of justice was their _whore_.

“But if we ever got him, the control brains would want him deleted.” Purple said in his own thought.

There was that, yes. They didn’t have a choice in that matter. Domino was a Tallest-level Irken with anti-Empire ideals, they wanted him deleted for the longest time. It was by Red and Purple’s words alone that Domino was able to leave the Empire. The only ones who didn’t want him deleted were the two of them. If he were to be deleted, then their fun would be over.

“Would making him a prisoner of war be better?” Purple questioned.

“He wouldn’t be deleted.” Red agreed.

“There’s also the option of reprogramming. I know they can do that.”

“Reprogramming has its flaws, his personality would change.”

“True, I like Dom as he already is.”

“He may act big and tough, but he’s still pliable.”

It was difficult, having to protect someone who you were obligated to hunt down. They had been doing it for two sweeps now. They felt like they deserved some recognition for their hard work, but there was no way to drop in on his dirt-hole of a planet without the risk of getting shot.

Purple tilted his head in consideration, “What if…we give him a lingering warning.”

Red frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Expand our borders, have it stop at the cusp of his dirty little planet. He won’t be able to ignore that. It’ll be our way of telling him that we’re still thinking about him. That we still own him.”

“That we could expand it at any time and take his planet for prisoner.” Red surmised, smirking. “I like the way you think.”

Purple reached for his slushy, taking a sip. “It’s a long-standing reminder of us.”

“Though, it’s not the only reminder he has.”

* * *

Domino’s forehead wrinkled at the sight of it, the red and purple tattoo on the right side of his chest. The Irken symbol that stared back at him every time he undressed himself. He hated looking at it, because every time he looked at it he would remember…

_Them_.

_“Oh, Domie, look at yourself, you’re so filthy!”_

_Domino scowled up at them, having fallen to the floor when Purple all but rammed into him, ‘dropping’ his large soda and soaking the Irken below him. He sat there, dripping in sugary syrup, the styrofoam cup hanging off of his left antennae._

_Red clicked his tongue in distaste. ”Get up and wash yourself, you're starting to drip on the carpet.” He flicked his fingers at him, ”Hurry up or you’ll be sticky.”_

_The violet-eyed Irken grumbled, flicking the cup off of his antennae and raising to his feet, stalking off to the showers. By now the three of them had been sharing a room and for Domino it wasn't something he had decided, as the room only had two beds and he was forced to lay with either Red or Purple if he wanted to rest. He wasn’t allowed to have a bed to himself._

_They had fully taken advantage of Domino’s free time now, and the Irken couldn't avoid them for long, lest they wanted to tell someone about what Domino was doing to them the night before. They weren't above blackmail._

_Thankfully, he made it into the bathroom alone. He disrobed himself, sighing, looking into the mirror at his tattoo. It was still painful, Red having worked on it the solar before. He tore his eyes from the sight of it, stepping into the shower and turning it on._

_The grate overhead began to sprinkle liquid down onto him, warm liquid that cleaned everything it touched. He ran his hands along his arms and sighed again. It was nice, being able to do something without them..._

_Before he could finish that thought he felt a hand slip around his neck as someone kissed the back of his head. ”You still taste sweet.”_

_Domino shuddered involuntarily when Purple slipped his other hand around his hip so he could finger the other’s slit. He stroked him gently, taking in Domino’s trembling body. ”You’re already slick.” He commented, smiling. ”Don’t tell me you wanted this.”_

_”Fuck off.” Domino hissed out, his eyes falling shut when Purple finally found his phallus. He bent over to lean his forearms against the wall, ducking his head into his arms as Purple hugged him from behind, kissing along the other’s shoulder as he stroked him._

_”Which one of us do you like more?” asked Purple._

_”Neither of you.” Domino was becoming flushed, the way Purple was touching him felt so good, and he hated that he wanted more._

_Purple seemed to know what he wanted, smiling coolly. ”Red’s not here, he left the room. It’s just us Domie, you can say whatever you want with me.” Purple let him go then, and he grinned when Domino let out a strangled whine. ”Turn around.” He said gently._

_Domino hesitated, eventually turning himself around. He looked anywhere but at Purple, who only chuckled at Domino’s flushed face. He stepped closer to Domino, leaning in to kiss him as his fingers traced along his cock. Domino shuddered in response, opening his mouth for Purple as the other dared to explore. The tracing touches continued before Purple reached for his own slick phallus to push it inside of him. Domino let out a groan, and Purple broke away. ”You’re more responsive to me than you are to Red.” He mused, thrusting into him. ”Just tell me Domie, you like me better.”_

_Domino bared his teeth, nearly crying out when Purple lifted him up. Domino instinctively hooked his legs around the other’s hips, groaning when he felt Purple press in deeper. Purple only smiled, assisting Domino’s thrusts. ”Wouldn’t you love to do this more often? Just you and me?” When Domino didn't answer Purple pressed the other against the wall, ”Red’s not here, Domie...”_

_He couldn't say it, Domino had his pride. If he even expressed that he was enjoying himself then he wouldn't hear the end of it. He grasped Purple when the other kissed him again, putting everything he couldn't say into that one kiss. It only ended when Domino whimpered._

_He felt his pride slip away as the pleasure heightened. ”Just let me cum—“ Domino finally whispered. Purple’s thrusting was driving him closer, the other’s phallus brushing every good pressure point._

_”Tell me how much you enjoy this first.” Purple seemed to be holding himself back for this alone. ”Tell me you want me more than Red.”_

_When Purple trusted sharply Domino cried out, feeling his resolve break. ”Ffiiine.” He rasped. ”You’re better than Red.”_

_”And you want me more than Red?”_

_”A lot more than R-Red.” Domino shuddered again, kissing him._

_Purple licked along Domino’s mouth, purring as he trusted harder. ”Do you think about me?”_

_”Y-yes.”_

_”Are you enjoying yourself?”_

_Domino kissed him again, feeling just about close to the edge. Purple seemed pleased by his reaction, giving him two more sharp thrusts before Domino finally unraveled, shuddering violently against the other Irken as he came. Purple sighed in bliss and coaxed him into one last lingering kiss as he followed suit, pumping Domino full of his cum._

_The two of them took a moment to breathe, and Purple slipped out of Domino slowly. ”Ya hear that Red? Domie likes me more~”_

_Domino paled as he saw Red come from outside the room, looking like he had watched the entire act and was pleasuring himself. Red only looked smug, ”I suppose I may have to up my game then.” The Irken said wolfishly. ”Can’t let Purple have all the fun.”_

_Purple giggled, cupping Domino’s cheek. ”I’m sure he’ll enjoy it no matter what you do.”_

Domino grimaced at the memory, turning away from the mirror and looking for his other change of clothes.

The robes he had these days were a dark purple color, reaching to the floor like always, his sashes were gold. It looked like an overly lengthy vest, exposing his black trousers and the boots he wore. His likeness was recognizable to everyone that came to this part of the universe, the Renegade Tallest, as they called him. He didn’t feel like who he was when he first escaped the Empire. He felt like he’s grown more mature and responsible. He had to be, he had employees that were depending on his protection. He also had refugees that approached his planet looking for shelter. He never turned them away, and those who wished to actively fight he directed them to Lard Nar.

He made his way across the room, stopping at the large one-way mirror, looking down at the club below. It nearly looked peaceful, as peaceful as you can get in a brothel. Customers were being entertained, drinks were being served. Crux was rushing in from his perch outside looking anxious—wait.

Domino turned, heading out of his office and into the elevator. When he reached the ground floor the rest of the patrons were rushing to the windows, Crux having yelled about…

“Boss!” The Irken breathed, pointing towards the entrance. “The Empire—“

Domino inhaled sharply, storming towards the entrance and pushing past the doors, stepping along the ground until he caught sight of the looming structure that was a few thousand clicks away from them.

It was part of a ring, colored in magenta and silver. Domino had heard of it, he’s never seen it until he had to flee, but there it was. The Empire’s border, a machine-like structure that kept tabs on whoever was outside and approaching the Empire itself. It settled a fair distance from Retristè, looming over them like a mocking sign. He grit his teeth and whipped around, storming back towards the club.

“Is the Empire coming for us?”

“That’s a sign of danger, are they going to advance?”

“Are we going to have to leave Retristè?”

“What if they fire—“

“Retristè is perfectly fine.” Domino’s voice boomed over the murmurs and the fears. “I have a feeling that I know what they’re doing, everyone get back to what you were doing, I’ll handle this.” He turned away to head back to the elevator, and once he was gone Zetiya went to shoo people from the door.

“Domino will take care of it, now let’s have a free drink for the first few ticks. Come an’ make your order.”

Domino’s antennae twitched as he made his way back to the office, shutting the door and locking it before heading to the tablet on his desk. He sifted through some buttons and took the tablet, placing it on the wall behind him and expanding it, patching a line to Irk. He came face to face with an Irken advisor, the male blinking bewilderedly at the sight of Domino. “T-t-this is Tallest Red’s quarters…Dom?”

“Where’s Red?” The Irken hissed out.

The advisor jumped, “Oh—you don’t know. The Tallests are on the Massive at this moment, they’re currently traveling through the northern border on their way to invade planets.”

The Massive… Domino’s eye twitched. He knew all about the Massive, he just didn’t think that they would have had that finished so quickly. “Give me the patch code to the Massive.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that—“

“ _Give. Me._ ” Domino’s voice went into a feral snarl, “ _The. Patch. Code._ ”

“PATCHING YOU THROUGH NOW!” The Irken shrieked, and suddenly the image became black.

There was a lovely jingle as Domino waited for his transmission to be accepted, cracking his knuckles idly until the image changed into what looked like to be the control room of the Massive, Red and Purple standing at their helms, looking like they’ve been _waiting_ for his call.

“Domie, how nice of you to contact us.” Purple smiled, putting on a sugary-sweet tone. “How are you?”

Domino wasn’t in the mood. “Why are you expanding the southern border towards Retristé?”

Purple went quiet, keeping his smile and looking over at Red. Red soon smiled as well, “You know why, Domie.”

Domino folded his arms. “Humor me.”

“Just a reminder of who you’re dealing with, _Domino_.” Purple drawled, tilting his head, “You’re getting a little big there, out on that dirt-ridden dirt planet.”

“We’ve heard all about what’s been going on. The Irken refugees you’ve been taking in, the slaves you’ve been helping.” Red grinned, “How _powerful_ you are starting to become.”

“We just want you to realize that with that power, comes a very hefty price.” Purple flicked an invisible piece of lint from his armor, “We wouldn’t want you to think that you could overpower the very Empire you’re against.”

“Consider this your reality check. Because we can always collect you at any given point in time, whenever we deem it necessary.”

“Because while the control brains want you deleted, you being a prisoner of war sounds more delightful in itself, it means we get to keep you _alive_.”

“And that means we get to do with you as we please.”

“Anytime.”

“Anywhere.”

“Whenever we feel like it.” They echoed.

The way the two of them were so close to the point that they thought alike made Domino sick. They were doing this just to keep him restrained. They expected him to play the part of a good little Irken and follow their rules. “If you think your little scare tactic is going to work on me, then you’re wrong.” Domino hissed out. “I left the Empire for a reason, and I’m not going to back down on those reasons just to placate _you_. I have convictions, I have my pride, and my convictions are worth dying for. I’m not the Empire’s puppet, and I will never be the Empire’s puppet. I will never back down fighting for those that the Empire casts aside or tries to enslave. I will never allow you to assume that you can do whatever the fuck you want. I am going to make sure the Empire is brought to its knees, and when me and the rest of those you’ve wronged come out on top, I will make sure to rub your petulant little faces in the fact that the Empire has fallen by my hands alone.”

There was a beat of silence as the two of them thought about what he just said. It wasn’t long until Red began to laugh, as well as Purple. They laughed like Domino had just told the perfect joke.

“Oh, Domie, Domie,” Red wiped a tear from his eye, “You do realize your numbers are of a pitiful size against our numbers, right? If anything, we’re going to crush you and whatever rebellion you’re planning.”

“But do try,” Purple grinned, “Because we’ve been bored lately and we’ve been wanting some entertainment since you’ve left.”

“We’re not going to enhance the borders to the south any time soon, because we’re honestly curious about how you might pull off this amusing plan of yours.”

“Just remember Domino, when the time comes and our entertainment ends, the only one we’re leaving alive after we crush your rebellion is _you_.”

“Because the look of anguish on your face when you realize you led your people to slaughter will be too delicious to pass up.”

“As well as the pretty little noises you’ll make when you submit to us once again, but for good.”

The two of them blew him a kiss before cutting the connection, probably laughing again once the screen went black.

Domino’s hands became fists and he continued to glare at the screen, turning his eyes away from it and onto the one-way mirror, back to the floor below.

They were giving him a challenge.

Little did they know that he loved challenges, and he loved it more when he won.


End file.
